SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Serology Testing in a 3-Month-Old Organ Donor: A Case Report and Review of Available Literature

Transplant Proc. 2021 Oct;53(8):2435-2437. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2021.06.028. Epub 2021 Jul 2.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a highly prevalent infectious disease. Currently, organs are not being transplanted from donors who are SARS-CoV-2 positive. It remains unclear as to how to differentiate active from recovered patients. We report our recent experience of a 3-month-old deceased organ donor who died as the result of an anoxic brain injury after a cardiopulmonary arrest (presumed sudden infant death syndrome). The child was born to a mother presumed to have coronavirus disease 2019. The donor tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and positive for SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin A antibodies. We suspect this is the first known report of its kind and noteworthy for the organ donation and transplantation community.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Viral / isolation & purification*
  • COVID-19* / diagnosis
  • COVID-19* / immunology
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Organ Transplantation
  • SARS-CoV-2 / immunology
  • Tissue Donors*
  • Tissue and Organ Procurement

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral