A 45-year-old man develops a generalized skin rash, diarrhea, and jaundice 3 weeks after receiving a bone marrow transplant. Biopsy of the skin shows apoptosis of basal keratinocytes and lymphocyte infiltration. Which cell type is primarily responsible for mediating this condition?

• A Recipient B cells
• B Recipient T cells
• C Donor T cells ✓
• D Donor B cells

Explanation

Graft versus host disease occurs when immunocompetent donor T cells in the transplanted tissue recognize the recipient's HLA antigens as foreign and attack the host. The classic triad involves skin, liver, and gastrointestinal tract damage. Recipient T cells are typically ablated or immunocompromised prior to transplant.

Reference: Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 10th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.