• Jamie L Todd, Jeremy M Weber, Francine L Kelly, Megan L Neely, Hillary Mulder, Courtney W Frankel, Andrew Nagler, Christopher McCrae, Paul Newbold, Jim Kreindler, and Scott M Palmer.
• Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC; Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC. Electronic address: jamie.todd@duke.edu.
• Chest. 2023 Sep 1; 164 (3): 670681670-681.

BackgroundChronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) is the leading cause of death among lung transplant recipients. Eosinophils, effector cells of type 2 immunity, are implicated in the pathobiology of many lung diseases, and prior studies suggest their presence associates with acute rejection or CLAD after lung transplantation.Research QuestionDoes histologic allograft injury or respiratory microbiology correlate with the presence of eosinophils in BAL fluid (BALF)? Does early posttransplant BALF eosinophilia associate with future CLAD development, including after adjustment for other known risk factors?Study Design And MethodsWe analyzed BALF cell count, microbiology, and biopsy data from a multicenter cohort of 531 lung recipients with 2,592 bronchoscopies over the first posttransplant year. Generalized estimating equation models were used to examine the correlation of allograft histology or BALF microbiology with the presence of BALF eosinophils. Multivariable Cox regression was used to determine the association between ≥ 1% BALF eosinophils in the first posttransplant year and definite CLAD. Expression of eosinophil-relevant genes was quantified in CLAD and transplant control tissues.ResultsThe odds of BALF eosinophils being present was significantly higher at the time of acute rejection and nonrejection lung injury histologies and during pulmonary fungal detection. Early posttransplant ≥ 1% BALF eosinophils significantly and independently increased the risk for definite CLAD development (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.04; P = .009). Tissue expression of eotaxins, IL-13-related genes, and the epithelial-derived cytokines IL-33 and thymic stromal lymphoprotein were significantly increased in CLAD.InterpretationBALF eosinophilia was an independent predictor of future CLAD risk across a multicenter lung recipient cohort. Additionally, type 2 inflammatory signals were induced in established CLAD. These data underscore the need for mechanistic and clinical studies to clarify the role of type 2 pathway-specific interventions in CLAD prevention or treatment.Copyright © 2023 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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