Acute Humoral Rejection 12 Days Post-Heart Transplantation with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Antigen Expression in Myocardial Tissue: A Clinical Case

Turk Kardiyol Dern Ars. 2024 Dec;52(8):606-610. doi: 10.5543/tkda.2023.64627.

Abstract

The development of acute humoral rejection (AMR) in transplanted organs remains a highly relevant and unresolved issue. This study presents a clinical case of heart transplantation (HT) in a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy transitioning to a restrictive phenotype amid chronic lymphocytic myocarditis. Following HT, the patient developed nosocomial pneumonia, necessitating a reduction in immunosuppressive therapy. On the 12th day post-transplantation, the patient experienced a sudden hemodynamic collapse, which proved fatal. Autopsy examination revealed acute humoral rejection with a predominance of CD16+ cells in the infiltrate, exhibiting high expression of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Spike protein on the endothelium and CD16+ cells. Further investigation is required to clarify the role of SARS-CoV-2 in potentially exacerbating AMR development.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19* / complications
  • COVID-19* / immunology
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Graft Rejection* / immunology
  • Heart Transplantation*
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Humoral
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardium* / metabolism
  • Myocardium* / pathology
  • SARS-CoV-2*
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / immunology

Substances

  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
  • spike protein, SARS-CoV-2