{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T15:25:58Z","timestamp":1789053958401,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,13]],"date-time":"2025-12-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765584000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2-positive donors were not considered eligible for organ donation. The Italian National Transplant Centre has gradually introduced measures to prevent donor-to-recipient transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection through organ transplantation. The current national screening protocol for deceased SARS-CoV-2-positive donors recommends molecular testing of donor lower respiratory tract (LRT) samples, graft biopsies and organ perfusion fluids. The aim of the study is to describe the 3-year experience of protocol application in a northern region of Italy. From 1 January 2022 to 31 January 2025, a total of 132 samples were analyzed (29 liver biopsies, 35 kidney biopsies, 68 perfusion fluids) from 40 organ donors with an active or resolved SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 PCR on LRT samples was positive in 26\/40 (65%) donors, negative in 11\/40 (27.5%) cases and in the remaining 3 (7.5%) the PCR result was unknown. Overall, 65 organs were transplanted into 60 recipients. All processed graft biopsies and organ perfusion fluid samples tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Our data suggest that the utilization of non-lung donors with resolved or active SARS-CoV-2 infections who died of other causes appears justified and safe.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v17121611","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,15]],"date-time":"2025-12-15T09:36:39Z","timestamp":1765791399000},"page":"1611","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Molecular Testing in Organ Biopsies and Perfusion Fluid Samples from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Positive Donors"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8214-9057","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Evangelia","family":"Petrisli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5994-4749","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Liliana","family":"Gabrielli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlo","family":"De Cillia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Emilia Romagna Transplant Reference Centre, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6755-1937","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Liberatore","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Section of Microbiology, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2596-2367","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giulia","family":"Piccirilli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Simona","family":"Venturoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-0075-5116","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alice","family":"Balboni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Section of Microbiology, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eva Caterina","family":"Borgatti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Section of Microbiology, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-0405-2739","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessia","family":"Cantiani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Section of Microbiology, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8129-9344","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lamberto","family":"Manzoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Section of Microbiology, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-3224-1559","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicola","family":"Alvaro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Emilia Romagna Transplant Reference Centre, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3093-363X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tiziana","family":"Lazzarotto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Section of Microbiology, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (WHO) (2025, April 03). 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