Distribution of Porcine Cytomegalovirus in Infected Donor Pigs and in Baboon Recipients of Pig Heart Transplantation.

Uwe Fiebig,Almuth Falkenau,Jan-Michael Abicht,Tanja Mayr,Joachim Denner,Andrea Bähr,Tomoyuki Shibahara,Sonja Guethoff,Bruno Reichart,Matthias Längin,Eckhard Wolf

doi:10.3390/v10020066

Abstract

The porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV) is a herpesvirus that may pose a risk for xenotransplantation using pig cells, tissues, or organs. Here, three orthotopic pig heart transplantations into baboons were studied. To detect PCMV, a real-time PCR and a Western blot assay based on four PCMV protein sequences, including two tegument proteins, were used. The transmission of PCMV from the donor pig to the recipient baboon was found in two cases, despite PCMV not being detected in the blood of the donor pigs by real-time PCR. Although it was not in the blood, PCMV was detected in different organs of the donor pigs, and in sibling animals. Immunohistochemistry using an antiserum that is specific for PCMV detected virus protein-expressing cells in all of the organs of the recipient baboon, most likely representing disseminated pig cells. Therefore, for the first time, the distribution of PCMV in organs of the donor pigs and the recipient baboons was described. In addition, baboon cytomegalovirus (BaCMV) was found activated in the recipient, and a screening for hepatitis E virus (HEV) and porcine lymphotropic herpesviruses (PLHV) was performed. For the first time, a cross-reactivity between antibodies directed against PCMV and BaCMV was found.

Highlights

Xenotransplantation is at present the most promising solution for overcoming the increasing shortage of human organs for the treatment of organ failure [1]
It is important to note that was found in several organs of the donor pig—but not described
It is important to note that porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV) was found in several organs of the donor pig—but not in the the blood—when blood—when tested tested at at an an earlier earlier time time point, point, indicating indicating that that testing testing blood blood is is not not an an efficient efficient in way to to detect detect PCMV

Summary

Introduction

Xenotransplantation is at present the most promising solution for overcoming the increasing shortage of human organs for the treatment of organ failure [1]. This shortage is the reason why Viruses 2018, 10, 66; doi:10.3390/v10020066 www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses. Pigs are for several reasons the most suitable donor species. These reasons include the size of the organs, the functional compatibility (for example, pig insulin has been used successfully for the treatment of diabetes over decades), and the ability to create cloned and genetically modified pigs in a short time [3,4]. PCMV is widely distributed among pigs; it is a rather stable DNA virus that can be transmitted from pig to pig by milk, urine, and faeces [7,8]

Methods

Results

Conclusion