Human syngeneic intestinal transplantation: evaluation of enterocyte viability with serum levels of intestinal fatty acid binding protein

In a case of human syngeneic intestinal transplantation, the postoperative course was complicated by the Systemic Inflammatory Response System (SIRS). This syndrome was characterized by negative cultures and elevated levels of the pro‐inflammatory cytokines, IL‐1β, IL‐6 and TNF. In keeping with current concepts of translocation across the enterocyte barrier as the etiology of SIRS, levels of intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I‐FABP), an enterocyte‐specific protein, also increased. These observations suggest that (i) a clinical syndrome consistent with translocation may occur in the absence of rejection in intestinal transplantation, and (ii) I‐FABP may serve as a clinically relevant marker for enterocyte injury.