CD20-positive infiltrates in renal allograft biopsies with acute cellular rejection are not associated with worse graft survival

We examined rejection outcome and graft survival in 58 adult patients with acute cellular rejection Banff type I (ARI) or II (ARII), within 1 year after transplantation, with or without CD20-positive infiltrates. Antibody-mediated rejection was not examined. Of the 74 allograft biopsies, performed from 1999 to 2001, 40 biopsies showed ARI and 34 biopsies showed ARII; 30% of all the biopsies showed CD20-positive clusters with more than 100 cells, 9% with more than 200 cells and 5% with more than 275 cells. Patients with B cell-rich (> 100 or > 200/HPF CD20-positive cells) and B cell-poor biopsies (< 50 CD20-positive cells/HPF) were compared. Serum creatinine and eGFR of B cell-rich (CD20 > 100/HPF) and B cell-poor were not significantly different at rejection, or at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, and during additional 3 years follow-up after rejection, although higher creatinine at 1 year was noted in the > 200/HPF group. Graft survival was also not different between B cell-rich and B cell-poor groups (p = 0.8 for > 100/HPF, p = 0.9 for > 200/HPF CD20-positive cells). Our data do not support association of B cell-rich infiltrates in allograft biopsies and worse outcome in acute rejection type I or II, but do not exclude the possible contribution of B cells to allograft rejection.