Significance of the head and neck in late infection in renal transplant recipients.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the overall significance of the mouth and contiguous structures as sites of late opportunistic infection in renal transplant recipients, to define the flora of such infections, and to determine factors that place patients at risk of infection. Of 323 patients who underwent renal transplants, 57% developed infection at least 1 month postoperatively. Sex, donor source, or age did not influence the risk of infection. Of the posttransplant infections, 30.6% occurred in the head and neck, 21.9% in the respiratory tract, 23.7% in the urinary tract, and 10% at sites of trauma. Of head and neck infections, 16.4% were bacterial, 20.5% were viral, and 21.9% were fungal. In the remainder a definitive causative organism could not be identified. These results emphasize that the head and neck area is a major site of late opportunistic infection in renal transplant recipients.