The effect of cyclosporine on the progression of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection transmitted by transplantation-data on four cases and review of the literature

Two women and two men were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmitted by renal transplantation from i.v. drug-addicted donors in 1984. The four recipients were treated with cyclosporine and methylprednisolone (one patient only for three months because of early graft failure). Two patients died 66 and 74 months after transplantation, one of endocarditis and one of cerebral hemorrhage. Despite several infections including urinary tract infection (n=8), peritonitis (n=1), shunt infection (n=1), bronchitis (n=1), salmonellosis (n=1), herpes stomatitis (n=2), herpes zoster (n=1), and cytomegalovirus (n=1) and despite treatment of several rejection episodes (n=8), none of them had or has infections typical of the acquired immunodefiency syndrome (AIDS)