Rubella antibodies and adverse events late after renal transplantation.

Rubella antibody titers were determined pretransplant and then serially posttransplantation in 52 consecutive patients whose renal allografts survived at least three months. Group A patients (18) had antibody titers greater than or equal to 1:128 in the posttransplant period. Group B (24) had intermediate antibody titers that never rose higher than 1:64. Group C (10) consistently had antibody titers less than 1:8. Group A did not differ from groups B and C with respect to age, race, sex, type of transplant, underlying renal disease, or maximum complement fixation antibody titers posttransplant to cytomegalovirus or herpes simplex virus, type 1. Group A did differ from groups B and C in its frequency of hepatitis, chronic liver disease, episodes of late rejection (greater than or equal to 21 days after transplant), transplant nephrectomy required for rejection, infections whose defense involves intact cell-mediated immunity, and the number of late rejection episodes per patient. Mechanisms underlying these associations are not known but apparently are not related to HLA phenotype.