Donor-specific preformed B-lymphocyte antibodies and mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) blocking in cadaver renal allograft recipients.

B- and T-lymphocyte CDC crossmatches and MLC blocking experiments were performed for 33 cadaver renal allograft donor-recipient pairs. Unidirectional MLC blocking was highly correlated with a positive B-cell crossmatch. Grafts in both the MLC blocking and B-cell crossmatch positive groups fared equally as well as those without positive tests. No difference in graft outcome was noted when the presence or absence of MLC blocking was examined in relationship to B-cell crossmatch results.