Issues regarding food safety are seen increasingly in the news; outbreaks of foodborne illness have been associated with public health concerns ranging from mild illness to death. For the solid organ transplant patient, immunosuppressive and antibacterial drugs, which maintain transplant organ function, can expose the transplant patient to increased risk of foodborne illness from bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. This review article describes the clinical consequences, sources of foodborne illness, and food safety practices needed to minimize risks to the solid organ transplant patient who must take lifelong immunosuppressive drugs. All members of the transplant team share responsibility for education of the solid organ transplant patient in preventing infections. The registered dietitian, as part of the transplant team, is the recognized expert in providing food safety education in the context of medical nutrition therapy to solid organ transplant patients, the patients' caregivers, and other healthcare providers.

An increasing number of morbidly obese patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) are sequentially undergoing bariatric surgery followed by renal transplantation. Discrepancies between the nutritional recommendations for obesity and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are often confusing for the obese patient in renal failure. However, when recommendations are structured according to stage and treatment of disease, a consistent plan can be clearly communicated to the patient. Therefore, to optimize patient and graft outcomes we present nutritional recommendations tailored to three patient populations: obese patients with ESRD, patients post Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) with ESRD, and patients post RYGBP and post renal transplantation.

The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increased in adult organ transplant recipients. As many as 30% to 45% of solid organ adult transplant patients have DM before transplantation or develop posttransplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM). Risk factors for PTDM include family history, ethnic or genetic background, insulin resistance, and diabetogenic effects of immunosuppressive medications. Posttransplant hyperglycemia may result in increased platelet aggregation, increased wound infections, dehydration, and loss of lean body mass. More significantly, long-term complications of DM such as coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease may be exacerbated with the use of immunosuppressive medications whose known side effects include hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension; these effects may lead to premature transplant graft dysfunction. Treatment goals for PTDM reflect those of the American Diabetes Association guidelines; long-term management is linked with early, patient-centered education and optimizing minimally diabetogenic immunosuppressive medication regimens. A multidisciplinary team including the patient, family/support people, transplant surgeon, transplant physician, transplant nurse coordinator, transplant social worker, pharmacist, dietitian, and diabetes educator is crucial to long-term management of PTDM.

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