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  • Review Article
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Immunizations for renal transplant candidates and recipients

Nature Clinical Practice Nephrology volume 5, pages 46–53 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Vaccine-preventable diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in renal transplant candidates and recipients. Assessing the need for and providing appropriate vaccinations can greatly reduce the infectious complications associated with solid organ transplantation. This Review outlines the basic tenets of vaccination in solid organ transplant candidates and recipients and summarizes the available literature on the efficacy and safety of the most relevant vaccines for patients who are scheduled for or who have undergone renal transplantation.

Key Points

  • Vaccination is key to the care of the renal transplant candidate and recipient

  • The timing of vaccination can affect efficacy and safety, and vaccinating before the onset of end-stage renal disease or transplantation improves outcomes

  • Monitoring the response to certain vaccines (e.g. hepatitis B), and administering boosters where necessary, is highly recommended

  • The American Society for Transplantation's latest guidelines for vaccination of solid organ transplant recipients were issued in 2004 and include important information for care of these patients

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. J Cohn is a Fellow in Infectious Diseases and EA Blumberg is a Professor of Medicine, Program Director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship and Director of Transplant Infectious Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,

    Jennifer Cohn & Emily A Blumberg

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  1. Jennifer Cohn
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  2. Emily A Blumberg
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Correspondence to Jennifer Cohn.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Cohn, J., Blumberg, E. Immunizations for renal transplant candidates and recipients. Nat Rev Nephrol 5, 46–53 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpneph1003

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