Immunologic graft loss in our population is related to noncompliance with transplant medications, which occurred primarily in recipients with a pretransplantation history of substance abuse and is not related to an inability to pay for medications at the time of graft loss. A change in criteria for acceptance of transplant candidates with a prior history of substance abuse might significantly improve graft survival in this patient population.
A case of fatal disseminated fungal infection due to Conidiobolus coronatus in a patient with a renal transplant is described. This organism, known to cause localized infections in otherwise healthy individuals in the tropics, is now recognized as a cause of fatal infection in immunosuppressed hosts. Histologically, localized infections are characterized by lack of vessel invasion and the presence of an eosinophilic sleeve around fungal elements, called the Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon. The histologic findings in the present case were more typical of mucormycosis, and the correct diagnosis was established only after the organism was isolated and identified in culture.
When immunosuppression is equivalent in black and white transplant recipients, apparently race-related differences in the long-term survival of renal cadaveric allografts appear to be related to other factors that affect graft survival unfavorably, notably poor HLA matching and unfavorable socioeconomic factors.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.