Monitoring xenotransplant recipients for infection by PERV

Objectives: Concerns have been raised over the possibility of transmission of porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) to porcine xenograft recipients. Methods: To help assess this risk, diagnostic assays capable of detection o f an active, latent or cleared PERV infection, and the presence of pig cell microchimerism have been developed by a number of groups. Retrospective st udies of patients exposed to living pig tissues have been performed using t hese assays to look for evidence of cross species transmission. Results: To date no evidence of PERV infection has been found in studies of humans exposed to pig tissues, despite evidence of long lived microchimeri sm. Conclusions: These data suggest that PERV infection has not occurred in a c linical setting. However, as infection has been seen in a small animal mode l further investigation of the risk from PERV is warranted. (C) 2001 The Ca nadian Society of Clinical Chemists. All rights reserved.