Transplantation
July 23, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Liver and Kidney Transplantation With Organs From Trypanosoma cruzi -positive Donors: A Valuable Resource That Requires Close Monitoring.
Anders M, Barcán L, Angeramo A, +17 more, Mendizabal M.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Using T. cruzi-positive donors for liver and kidney transplantation looks safe in Argentina but requires careful monitoring, mainly in the first year.
What was studied
Argentine study combining a registry cross-section (2006-2020) of deceased donors and a retrospective multicenter cohort of 129 recipients of organs from T. cruzi-positive donors.
Key findings
- Donor seroprevalence was 3.52% (528/14,966).
- T. cruzi infection was diagnosed in 22% of recipients at a median 57.5 days, and 75% (21/28) were asymptomatic.
- Treated patients with benznidazole resolved without sequelae and Chagas was never the cause of death.
Clinical relevance
Expands usable organs for centers in endemic regions, if recipients are monitored closely.
Who should care
Limitations
Retrospective, no comparison group of recipients of negative donors, and the cohort is limited to liver and kidney recipients in one country.
If accepting T. cruzi-positive donors, set up early serial surveillance and treat with benznidazole at detection.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Background
To increase organ availability in areas with low transplant access, the use of deceased donors infected with Trypanosoma cruzi for liver and kidney transplantation has been adopted, balancing the risk of transmission. This Argentinean study aimed to analyze the reactivation rate and safety of this practice.
Methods
This study combined 2 complementary approaches: a cross-sectional analysis of the Argentinean Transplant Registry (2006-2020) and a retrospective multicenter cohort study of solid organ transplant recipients. The cohort study was designed to assess the risk of donor-derived T. cruzi infection in liver and kidney transplant recipients across Argentina.
Results
The cross-sectional analysis identified a seroprevalence of 3.52% (528/14 966) among deceased donors. Data were obtained from 129 recipients who received an organ from a T. cruzi -positive donor. With a median follow-up of 3.62 y, and high adherence to surveillance (83%), T. cruzi infection was diagnosed in 22% of recipients, with a median time of 57.5 d posttransplant. Seventy-five percent (n=21/28) of the patients remained asymptomatic. Neither prior T. cruzi seropositivity in the recipient (odds ratio, 0.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.01-4.89; P = 0.200) nor a history of rejection (odds ratio, 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.19-2.12; P = 0.452) was significantly associated with Chagas reactivation. Almost all infected patients received benznidazole, and the infection resolved without sequelae in those treated. The treatment was well tolerated. Chagas disease was never identified as the cause of death.
Conclusions
The use of T. cruzi -positive donors for liver and kidney transplantation is safe, but requires careful monitoring, especially during the first year posttransplant.
DOI
10.1097/tp.0000000000005843
PMID
42487158
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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