title: Non-organ-specific and anti-endothelial antibodies in relation to CMV infection and acute rejection in renal transplant recipients.
abstract: The presence of non-organ-specific (NOSA) and anti-endothelial antibodies (AECAs) and the onset of rejection in relation to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was investigated in 96 renal transplant recipients: 48 CMV pp65-antigenemia-negative (group 1) and 48 positive (group 2). The presence of autoantibodies (autoAbs) was evaluated before and following renal transplantation (first three months) by indirect immunofluorescence. Before transplantation, none of the patients was positive to AECAs, while eight (8.3%) were positive to NOSAs. Post-transplantation, AECA were found in none of patients from group 1 vs. 15/48 (31.2%) from group 2 (p<0.05); NOSAs were detected in 9/48 (18.8%) and 9/48 patients from group 1 and 2, respectively. An acute rejection was diagnosed in ten cases: six of interstitial type (antigenemia-, and AECA-negative; two NOSA-positive); four of vascular type (all of them NOSA-negative, 3/4 antigenemia-, and AECA-positive). CMV infection did not seem to be significantly associated with the appearance of NOSAs, while there was a significant correlation with the occurrence of AECAs. No significant correlation was found between acute rejection and the occurrence of NOSAs, while 75% of the cases of vascular rejection was associated to CMV infection and AECA-positivity, suggesting the pathogenic role of CMV-mediated endothelial damage.
authors.affiliation: SCDU Virology, Department of Public Health and Microbiology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria San Giovanni Battista di Torino, Turin, Italy. cristina.costa@unito.it
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Giovanni Antonio
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Touscoz
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bergallo
authors.forename: Maria Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Terlizzi
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Astegiano
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sidoti
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sinesi
authors.forename: Giuseppe P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Segoloni
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cavallo
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; C087589:anti-endothelial cell antibody