title: Epstein-Barr-virus-specific T-cell memory in renal-allograft recipients under long-term immunosuppression.
abstract: The level of long-term responsiveness of cytotoxic T cells to Epstein-Barr (EB) virus has been measured in peripheral-blood mononuclear-cell cultures from symptom-free renal-allograft recipients under conventional immunosuppression. 8 of 22 patients showed a profoundly impaired responsiveness when compared with health control donors. The allograft recipients as a group showed raised antibody titres to EB-virus capsid and early antigens, but within the group there was no clear relation between these antibody titres and the level of EB-virus-specific cytotoxic-T-cell function. These findings are particularly relevant to the pathogenesis of the malignant lymphomas to which renal-allograft recipients are unusually susceptible, in view of the evidence implicating EB virus.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral