BK Virus in Renal Transplant: Recent advances in Epidemiology, Molecular Diagnosis and Management
https://doi.org/10.66715/jsccr/2026.v3.i4.5156 | Review Paper | 2026 | Volume 3 | Issue 4 | Page 51-56
Manvi Namboodri, Dr. Kapilesh Jadhav, Dr. Aditya Mishra, Swapnilraj R Prajapati
1) Research Scholar, School of life and basic sciences, Jaipur National University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Email: manvinamboodri@gmail.com
2) Professor, School of Engineering & Technology, Jaipur National University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
3) Director, M-Genix Laboratory & Research Centre, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
4) Research Scholar, school of life and basic sciences, Jaipur National University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Abstract
BK virus (BKV) remains a major cause of infection in kidney allograft dysfunctions as it emerges from the same immunosuppressive environments required to prevent the rejections. The scientific literature of 2024-2025 has greatly enriched the existing knowledge about this complication. Recent guidelines have allowed establishing standard intervals of monitoring after transplantation, clinicopathological criteria and intervention thresholds, while contemporary reviews have generalized existing data on latency, reactivation of virus and risk factors in transplantation. There are new epidemiologic studies proving that the presence of BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) DNAemia still affects a sizable fraction of kidney transplant patients. Recently published meta-analytical studies proved that there is no specific drug and/or procedure explaining the incidence of the BK infection, thus the BK infection can be regarded as a marker of the insufficient immune control. Diagnostic progress has centered on better interpretation of plasma BKPyV quantitative testing and on adjunctive biomarkers, including donor-derived cell-free DNA and BKPyV-specific Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSpot (ELISpot) testing. Therapeutic evidence has also progressed. A large multicenter cohort has also clarified tacrolimus targets after DNAemia. Whereas, the randomized BKEVER trial has challenged the assumption that everolimus conversion improves viral clearance. On the other hand, there is a shift from the strategy that relies on the reduction of the degree of immunosuppression to the development of treatment aimed at pathogen-specific therapies, which includes neutralizing monoclonal antibodies and adoptive cell therapy. This review identifies the most valuable studies regarding BKPyV research conducted in 2024-2025 and their importance for epidemiology, diagnostics, treatment, and transplantation.
Keywords: BKV, BKPyV, ELISpot, Immunosuppression, kidney transplantation