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Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Isolation and Transplantation of Different Aged Murine Thymic Grafts.
Published on: May 13, 2015
Thymoglobulin versus ATGAM induction therapy in pediatric kidney transplant recipients: a single-center report
Sookkasem Khositseth1, Arthur Matas, Marie E Cook
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
Background:
Induction immunosuppressive therapy with the anti-T-cell antibody Thymoglobulin decreases the incidence of acute rejection in adult kidney transplant (KTx) recipients, but limited data are available for pediatric KTx recipients.
Methods:
We conducted a historical cohort study to compare rates of survival, rejection, and infection in pediatric (age <19 years) KTx recipients who received induction therapy with polyclonal antibody, ATGAM (n=127) or Thymoglobulin (n=71), from December 1, 1992, to January 31, 2003. Maintenance immunosuppression included cyclosporine, azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone. Mean follow-up was 90+/-25 months for ATGAM recipients and 32+/-15 months for Thymoglobulin recipients.
Results:
Overall, the incidence of acute rejection was lower in Thymoglobulin recipients versus ATGAM recipients (33% vs. 50%, P=0.02). Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection was higher in Thymoglobulin recipients versus ATGAM recipients (8% vs. 3%, P=0.002). But the two groups did not significantly differ in patient and graft survival rates, incidence of chronic rejection, EBV lymphoma, or other infection.
Conclusions:
Thus, Thymoglobulin induction was associated with a decreased incidence of acute rejection and an increased incidence of EBV infection in pediatric KTx recipients. EBV monitoring should be performed in EBV-naive recipients receiving Thymoglobulin.
