[Influence of idiotypic network regulation on renal transplant]

Pretransplant sera from 68 patients were tested for antiidiotypic antibodies (Ab2) and anti-antiidiotypic antibodies (Ab3) by lyphocytotoxicity inhibitory and potentiating assay. In the first six nomths, 6% of the patients in the Ab2 group had had a rejection episode compared with 21% of the patients in the no antibody (P < 0.01), whereas patients in the Ab3 group had significant rejection episodes (67%) compared with no antibody group (P < 0.01). These results suggest that Ab2 can introduce recipients tolerating the graft in some degree and patients with Ab3 are of high risk of graft rejection.