Prevalence of BK viremia in Iranian hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients

Background: BK virus (BKV) is a common human polyomavirus which infects up to 90% of the general population with little clinical significance and with various epidemiological patterns of infection. Immune suppression is considered the main risk factor for BKV reactivation. Owing to their impaired cellular and humoral immunity, patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) are at high risk of infectious diseases such as BKV infection. BKV presents with different distributions in different populations. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of BKV in Iranian patients with chronic renal disease undergoing HD and PD. Methods: Sixty-three HD patients and 33 PD cases from the main dialysis units in Tehran, Iran, were enrolled in the study. BK viremia was determined by qualitative polymerase chain reaction in all subjects. Results: Sixty-three cases under HD (mean age 59.3 +/- 14.5 years) and 33 subjects on PD (mean age 53.7 +/- 13 years) were enrolled in the study. The mean duration of HD was 59.1 +/- 53.8 months and the dialysis interval was three times a week. In the PD group, the mean duration of dialysis was 38.9 +/- 35.2 months. The prevalence of BK viremia was 3.03% in PD and 0% in HD subjects. Conclusions: This study showed a low rate of BK viremia in chronic renal disease patients undergoing HD or PD. Differently from other studies in various populations, our results demonstrated low or absent BKV replication in Iranian dialysis patients, highlighting the varying epidemiological pattern of BKV distribution.