title: Liver transplant recipients weaned off immunosuppression lack circulating donor-specific antibodies.
abstract: Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-specific antibodies (Abs) were examined in 73 clinically stable liver transplant recipients divided into group A (n = 19; clinically tolerant), group B (n = 34; undergoing weaning, on minimal immunosuppression), and group C (n = 20; had failed drug withdrawal or weaning never attempted). Of 19 patients in group A, six (32%) had anti-HLA Abs; none were donor-specific. In contrast, 23 of 34 patients (67%) in group B and nine of 20 patients (45%) in group C exhibited anti-HLA Abs (p = 0.02). Furthermore, 15 of 19 patients in groups B and C (9/12, p = 0.01 and 6/7, p = 0.01, respectively) exhibited donor-specific anti-HLA Abs. The prevalence of donor-specific HLA Abs was significantly higher in nontolerant patients. Five years after initial evaluation, >90% (18/19) group A patients remained off immunosuppression. One of seven of these patients available for retesting exhibited donor-specific Abs. In group B, two-fourths of 34 patients (12%) weaned successfully were HLA-Ab negative; four patients who experienced rejection while undergoing weaning exhibited anti-HLA Ab initially and at 5 years. Thus, most of the liver recipients off immunosuppression lacked donor-specific alloAbs. The occurrence of these alloAbs should now be examined prospectively in a drug weaning trial.
authors.affiliation: Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Alin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Girnita
authors.forename: George V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Mazariegos
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castellaneta
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reyes
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bentlejewski
authors.forename: Angus W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zeevi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D014019:Tissue Donors; D023001:Transplantation Tolerance; D028761:Withholding Treatment
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D006680:HLA Antigens