Severe infection due to Streptococcus pneumoniae in asplenic renal transplant patients.

The medical records of 293 patients who underwent renal transplantation were analyzed for the occurrence of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae infections in relation to splenectomy. Splenectomy was done in 236 (81%) graft recipients before or concomitant with transplantation. Bacteremia developed in five and fulminant sepsis in two from 3 to 32 months after splenectomy. No serious infections with these organisms occurred in the nonsplenectomy group. These results suggest that asplenia may be an additional factor predisposing transplant patients to serious infection. Prevention of these serious pneumococcal infections may be possible with polyvalent pneumococcal vaccine.