Pretransplant IFN-γ ELISPOT assay as a potential screening test to select immunosuppression protocols for patients receiving basiliximab induction therapy

The use of basiliximab induction therapy has increased in standard immunological risk patients. The objective of this study was to identify whether pretransplant donor-reactive interferon-γ enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) assay results were associated with post-transplant clinical outcomes in patients receiving basiliximab induction therapy and whether this could be helpful for choosing an efficacious immunosuppressive regimen. In 154 living donor renal transplant recipients who received basiliximab induction therapy without desensitization, we determined pretransplant ELISPOT frequencies and correlated the results with clinical outcomes based on the use of calcineurin inhibitors (tacrolimus [TAC] or cyclosporine [CSA]). The ELISPOT (+) patients had higher rate of post-transplant biopsy-proven acute rejection (AR) than ELISPOT (-) patients (P = 0.001) regardless of immunosuppressive regimen. In the logistic and multivariate regression analysis, ELISPOT was the only significant correlate of AR (P = 0.002), and the patients with increased ELISPOT results and CSA therapy were associated with AR. Our results suggest that the pretransplant ELISPOT (+) may assess the risk of poor post-transplant outcomes in patients with basiliximab induction.