Two-day induction with thymoglobulin in kidney transplantation: risks and benefits

The aim of this study was to develop an induction protocol to reduce allograft rejection with fewer posttransplant infections and malignancies.

In this prospective randomized study, a T- and B-cell depletion protocol, consisting of IV thymoglobulin (ATG 5 mg/kg/d) plus methylprednisolone (500 mg/d) plus azathiopurine (2 mg/kg/d), was on days 0 and 1 after renal transplantation. CyA was introduced at day 3.39 among patients undergoing either primary living related (n = 16) or cadaveric (n = 23) transplants excluding recipients of full-HLA-matched sibling, or five- and six-HLA-matched cadaveric donor kidneys. The adequacy of immunosuppression was evaluated by flow cytometric analysis for total, CD3+ (T-cell), and CD19+ (B-cell) lymphocytes.

The acute rejection rate was 6% and 37/39 patients are alive with functioning grafts at an average follow-up of 14.5 months. The overall patient and graft survival rate was 95%. Their mean creatinine value was 1.27 mg/dL. Six patients (16%) required hospitalization due to serious infections. The two deaths were attributed to septicemia and brain abcess caused by unusual agents, namely, Rhodococcus equi and Sporobolomyces. One patient presented with a cutaneous Kaposi sarcoma in the 11th month posttransplant.

A Two-day induction protocol with thymoglobulin yields acceptable acute rejection rates among renal transplants. However, caution is necessary for adverse events, particularly atypical bacterial and fungal infections.