American Board of Surgery Qualifying Exam (ABS QE) Practice Test

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What does Donor Specific Antibody (DSA) indicate?

The risk of acute cellular rejection
Strength of antibody against a specific donor
Extent of chronic rejection
The likelihood of infection

The correct answer is: Strength of antibody against a specific donor

Donor Specific Antibody (DSA) is a critical marker in the context of organ transplantation. Its primary significance lies in its ability to indicate the strength of the antibody response against antigens specific to a transplanted organ from a particular donor. When a recipient develops DSA, it suggests that their immune system is recognizing the donor's specific antigens as foreign and is therefore mounting an immune response. Higher levels of DSA can correlate with a greater risk of antibody-mediated rejection, which can lead to transplant failure. Therefore, measuring the level of DSA is essential for monitoring transplant recipients, as it helps determine the immunologic compatibility between donor and recipient. Understanding DSA levels allows healthcare providers to tailor immunosuppressive therapy to minimize the risk of organ rejection while balancing the risk of infection, since immunosuppression can also increase susceptibility to infections. This makes the assessment of DSA a cornerstone in the management of transplanted patients.