Changes in the immune response against BCP 54 following corneal transplantation in man.

Bovine corneal protein (BCP) 54 is the major soluble protein of the cornea. Immune responses against this protein can be observed in patients with corneal disease or inflammatory disease of the anterior chamber of the eye. We wanted to determine whether an immune response against this corneal protein plays a role in corneal transplantation. A cell-mediated immune response against BCP 54 was therefore determined in 46 patients prior to and on several occasions during the first year following corneal transplantation. The presence of an anti-BCP 54 response before transplantation was not associated with any clinical parameters or with rejection following transplantation. The highest frequency of positive responses was observed three months after transplantation. Transplantation may have stimulated a temporary immune response against a previously sequestered antigen, but this tissue-specific immune response did not necessarily lead to rejection. Therefore, no prognostic value can be attributed to the anti-BCP 54 response.