Correlation between mixed lymphocyte culture performed before renal transplantation and kidney function.

Mixed lymphocyte cultures were performed before renal transplantation in 36 patients, using the cells from the recipient and the prospective living donor. A highly significant correlation was found between the results of mixed leucocyte cultures and (a) the renal function at one year or two years; (b) the occurrence of early or late rejection crises. A good correlation was also found between the results of mixed cultures and leucocyte typing based on HL-A haplotypes (but not with conventional typing based on the number of antigenic differences). As applied to the selection of the donors for kidney transplantation, the mixed culture has the advantage of recognizing all the good' cases, including the favourable cases of the HL-A semi-identical group; it will also select however a small number of poor cases. In contrast, the determination of HL-A haplotypes will select almost only good' cases but will discard a significant number of cases which will eventually prove to be favourable.