A modified rosette inhibition test in renal allotransplantation

The rosette inhibition test, with a modification of the technique which enables highly accurate marking of T lymphocytes, has been employed in the followup of 55 renal transplant patients. The minimal inhibitory concentration of antilymphocyte globulin (that is, that concentration of antilymphocyte globulin causing 25% inhibition of rosette formation) was higher than 1:16,000 in 63 (97%) of 65 separate determinations made during acute rejection episodes, and lower than 1:16,000 in 377 (92%) of 410 determinations after which no clinical evidence of rejection developed. The results presented in this paper indicate that this modified test is a useful tool either to predict the occurrence of or to confirm the diagnosis of rejection.