T lymphocytes in kidney allograft recipients.
The spontaneous sheep erythrocyte (E) rosette test was used on 340 occasions to measure T cell levels in 28 renal allograft recipients. The E rosette counts were reduced by high-dose steroids but usually returned towards normal under maintenance treatment with azathioprine and low-dose prednisone. Unexpectedly, rejection crises were more often associated with a decrease in E rosettes before steroid treatment (12 cases) than with an increase in E rosettes (5 cases). Our results show the need for caution in using the E rosette test and more generally B and T cell markers for monitoring anti-graft immunity in renal allograft recipients.
D001379:Azathioprine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001623:Betamethasone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007104:Immune Adherence Reaction; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors; D014181:Transplantation Immunology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D001623:Betamethasone; D001379:Azathioprine; D011241:Prednisone