A simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT) is the best treatment option for type I diabetic patients with advanced chronic renal failure. Infectious complications affect 7-50% of the patients receiving this procedure. We conducted a nested case-control study to assess the risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI) in patients receiving SPKT at our centre between 2000 and 2006. Of the 119 evaluated transplant recipients, 55 (46.2%) developed SSIs and the 30 day mortality was 11.8%. Gram-negative organisms were the predominant organisms isolated from SSIs. After multivariate logistic regression, the variables independently associated with SSI were: acute tubular necrosis, post-transplant fistula and graft rejection. This study demonstrated a high incidence of SSI in this patient cohort and variables related to the surgical procedure were closely associated with the development of SSI.