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Idiopathic: Relating to an organ being damaged or destroyed by a disease or condition of unknown origin.

Immune Response: The body's natural defense against foreign objects or organisms that invade the body, such as bacteria or transplanted organs.

Immune system: The organs, tissues, cells and cell products in the body that work to find and destroy foreign substances, such as bacteria, viruses and transplanted organs.

Immunosuppressive Drugs: Chemical agents that cause the human body not to produce antibodies that normally fight off foreign material in the body. The production of these antibodies needs to be suppressed in order to permit the acceptance of a donor organ by the recipient's body. See also Anti-Rejection Medicine. Examples include: Tacrolimus (Prograf), Sirolimus (Rapamycin), Mycophenolate (Myfortic)

Infection: A condition that occurs when a foreign substance enters the body, causing the immune system to fight the intruder. Transplant recipients can get infections more easily because their immune systems are suppressed. It is more difficult for them to recover from infection, such as urinary tract infection, the common cold and the flu.

Inflammation: The swelling, heat and redness the body produces when it has an injury or infection.

Informed Consent: The process of reaching a voluntary agreement based on a full disclosure and full understanding of what will take place. Informed consent often refers to the process of making decisions regarding participation in research as well as undergoing medical procedures, including the decision to donate the organs of a loved one.

Intestines: The portion of the digestive tract extending from the stomach to the anus, consisting of the stomach, the upper segment (small intestine) and lower segment (large intestine.) The intestines can be donated and transplanted. Types of intestinal transplant include isolate intestinal, liver-intestine, modified multivisceral, and multivisceral transplant.