Chromosome Aberrations in the Child of a Kidney Transplant Recipient

Successful kidney transplantation in young women results in the resumption of normal ovulatory menstrual cycles, so it is not surprising that pregnancies in renal transplant recipients have been reported.^1-4 Since azathioprine is known to produce fetal death and stunt fetal growth and is a teratogenic agent in animals,^5-8 there is valid concern for the human fetus. So far no abnormalities of infants born to women taking azathioprine have been described.^1-4,9,10

This report documents the occurrence of chromosomal abnormalities in the child of a cadaver kidney transplant recipient.

Materials and Methods  Chromosome analysis was performed on peripheral blood leukocytes cultured in the presence of phytohemagglutinin with the use of a slight modification of the technique described by Moorhead et al.¹¹ The slides were stained with Giemsa stain. Chromosomes in 100 metaphases were studied under light microscopy with an oil immersion objective. Karyotypes were prepared by photographic enlargement