The British journal of surgery
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Comparative Study
The use of dermal antigen testing in predicting the outcome of renal transplantation.
The responses to dermal antigen testing to a variety of antigens were measured in patients on regular dialysis. Forty-eight patients have received renal allografts and graft survival was assessed at 6 months. The antigens used were mumps, monilia, streptokinase/streptodornase, tuberculin and dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). ⋯ Matching at the HLA-B locus was also correlated with graft survival. Of 31 patients with a match at this locus, 22 (71 per cent) have functioning grafts at 6 months, compared with only 4 of 13 (31 per cent) of patients with no match at the B locus (P less than 0.05). When matching at the B locus and DNCB scores were taken in combination, it became evident that those patients with no match at the B locus and low DNCB reactivity all rejected their kidneys within 4 months of transplantation.