Infect Chemother.  2023 Mar;55(1):42-49. 10.3947/ic.2022.0124.

Nosocomial Outbreak of COVID-19 from a Kidney Transplant Patient: Necessity of a Longer Isolation Period in Immunocompromised Patients

• Kim CS
• Kim UJ
• Lee Y
• Lee U
• Choi O
• Kim SH
• Lee K
• Chung YS
• Choi HS
• Bae EH
• Ma SK
• Kim SE
• Kang SJ
• Jung SI
• Kim SW
• Park KH

• KMID: 2541530
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2022.0124

Abstract

Background
Determination of the release from isolation for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in immunocompromised patients who need additional hospitalization for treatment of non-COVID-19 related disease is important to prevent nosocomial transmission. However, there is insufficient evidence for an extended isolation period.
Materials and Methods
In September 2021, when the Delta variant was dominant, a nosocomial outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in the nephrology ward of a tertiary hospital in Gwangju, Korea. We conducted epidemiological investigations and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of this virus.
Results
A man who underwent kidney transplantation was admitted to our hospital for the treatment of acute kidney injury. He was diagnosed with asymptomatic COVID-19 infection during a pre-admission screening test on September 1, 2021 and underwent isolation. After 10 days of isolation in the COVID-19-designated ward, he was transferred to the general nephrology ward. He underwent steroid pulse therapy (September 17 to September 23, >60 mg/day prednisolone) due to acute T-cell rejection. On September 28, 2021, the first patient with COVID-19 was identified in the nephrology ward, and a rapid-response team was activated to identify additional patients with COVID-19 and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Epidemiological investigations revealed that 12 patients, two caregivers, and three healthcare workers from the nephrology ward were diagnosed with COVID-19. The WGS of specimens from 14 nosocomial outbreak samples and released an index patient exhibited the same Delta variant originating from the B.1.617.2 lineage. This hospital-acquired COVID-19 outbreak in the nephrology ward resulted in two (11.7%) deaths in patients who underwent kidney transplantation.
Conclusion
We demonstrated that an immunocompromised patient can cause a nosocomial outbreak due to the prolonged shedding of infectious viruses. Prolonged isolation in patients under active immunosuppressive therapy may be necessary to prevent transmission, especially in the hospital setting.

Keyword

COVID-19; Cross infection; Disease outbreaks; Isolation; Immunocompromised hosts