Monitoring the Effects of Probiotic Supplementation in Immunocompromised Kidney Transplanted Subjects

In order to protect their new renal graft, post-transplant patients follow a rigorous immunosuppressive therapy combined with prophylactic antibiotic treatment. Kidney transplant recipients are prescribed long-term immunosuppression maintenance regimens that are the prophylaxis of organ rejection. The most frequently used are calcineurin inhibitors (tacrolimus or cyclosporine) combined with glucocorticoids (methylprednisolone, prednisone) and antiproliferative agents (mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine). However, the use of immunosuppressive medication in transplanted patients have well-documented limitations. Recent studies reported major changes in microbiota composition as a result of immunosuppression use. A large majority of transplant patients develops severe GI problems, with the most common complication being post-transplant diarrhea. Several studies have assessed and confirmed negative effects of post-transplant diarrhea. According to (3, 4), post-transplant diarrhea affects 1 in 5 patients in the first year after kidney transplantation and is associated with decreased quality of life, allograft failure, and even death.