Steady-state alveolar macrophages (AMs) are long-lived lung-resident macrophages with
sentinel function. Evidence suggests that AM precursors originate during embryogenesis
and populate lungs without replenishment by circulating leukocytes. However, their
presence and persistence are unclear following human lung transplantation (LTx). Our goal
was to examine donor AM longevity and evaluate whether AMs of recipient origin seed the
transplanted lungs. Origin of AMs was accessed using donor–recipient HLA mismatches …