Successful remdesivir treatment of coronavirus OC43 pneumonia in a lung transplant recipient.
Raffaella Gallo, Lorenzo Bertolino, Fabian Patauner et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
A 60-year-old man with a bilateral lung transplant presented with worsening dyspnea and dry cough. Room-air arterial blood gas analysis showed respiratory failure. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid tested positive for coronavirus OC43 by RT-PCR, and chest CT showed bilateral patchy infiltrates. Remdesivir was given off-label for 5 days, based on in vitro activity data. His clinical condition, laboratory results, and arterial blood gas measurements improved quickly.
What made this case unusual
The report describes remdesivir use for OC43 pneumonia in a lung transplant recipient, rather than for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
In a lung transplant recipient with respiratory illness, bronchoalveolar lavage testing can identify a respiratory virus such as OC43; here, the result informed off-label remdesivir treatment.
Why it matters
The case suggests remdesivir may have a role in non-SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections, while underscoring that targeted treatment options for viral infections after lung transplantation are limited.