The humoral immune response to the BNT 162B2 vaccine in pediatrics on renal replacement therapy.

Introduction: Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, data published on the immunogenicity of the SARS-CoV-2 BNT 162B2 vaccine in pediatric patients receiving renal replacement therapy are scant. Our primary objective is to study this population's humoral immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Methods: Pediatric kidney transplant recipients (PKTRs) and hemodialysis recipients (HR) at our center who received two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 BNT 162B2 vaccine were included.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on transplant laboratories: How to mitigate?

A positive flow cytometry crossmatch (FCXM) due to donor specific antibodies (DSA) constitutes a risk for kidney transplantation; such a finding may indicates an unacceptable donor for this patient. However, positive FCXM in the absence of DSA is considered discordant and need further investigations. During COVID-19 pandemic, we observed 22% discordant results out of 445 FCXM performed during eight months period in our laboratory and another 7% were invalid due to high background negative control (NC).

HLA Sensitization in the Era of COVID-19: Single-Center Experience.

It is well known that several viral infections are capable of triggering the formation of HLA antibodies; however, an association between SARS-CoV-2 and the development of anti-HLA antibodies is not yet confirmed. In this study, we compared the prevalence of HLA antibody before and after COVID-19 infection in a cohort of 3 groups included 58 healthy nonsensitized employees (HNEs), 130 kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), and 62 kidney transplant candidates. There were no significant changes observed in HLA class I antibodies in any of the groups, but evaluation of antibodies to HLA class II revealed a significant change in the KTR group (P = .

Severe delayed graft function in a living-related kidney transplant recipient due to combination of alloimmunity, autoimmunity, and heterologous immunity: A case report.

Background: Delayed graft function is a manifestation of acute kidney injury unique to transplantation usually related to donor ischemia or recipient immunological causes. Ischemia also considered the most important trigger for innate immunity activation and production of non-HLA antibodies. While ischemia is inevitable after deceased donor transplantation, this complication is rare after living transplantation.

Graft-versus-host disease after pediatric liver transplantation: A diagnostic challenge.

Background: Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a rare but serious complication after pediatric liver transplantation (LTx). Early diagnosis is difficult due to nonspecific presenting symptoms and non-pathognomonic skin histopathological features. The aim of this article was to describe a case of pediatric GVHD after LTx and to review available data on pediatric GVHD highlighting the diagnostic difficulty.