Natural History of Infection Caused by BK Virus (and Other Opportunistic Viral Pathogens) in Renal Transplant Recipients

This is a Natural History study in renal or renal-pancreas transplant recipients. In an effort to capture patients early in the course of an evolving BK virus infection and avoid patients who have already developed evidence of BKV-induced nephropathy (BKVN), this protocol will emphasize the initiation of screening in the early post-transplant period. Patients who have undergone renal or renal/pancreas transplantation within 4 weeks, but not more than 90 day previously, will be asked to participate and then consented to be enrolled in a Natural History-Surveillance period for up to approximately 24 months. Participants enrolled in this study will provide valuable natural history data regarding BKV viremia, and potentially other viral pathogen, in the post-renal transplant period. Participants will provide blood samples to undergo measurement for plasma BKV DNA by PCR approximately every 6 weeks, to be resulted in real time at the UAB Diagnostic Virology Laboratory at UAB.