Rabbit antithymocyte globulin compared with basiliximab in kidney transplantation: a single-center study

Induction therapy is used to reduce the incidence of acute rejection and to prevent or treat delayed graft function. We compared basiliximab with rabbit antithymocyte globulin (ATG) as induction therapies for kidney transplant recipients.

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data from 514 patients who received ATG or basiliximab. The patients in the ATG group (n = 152) received ATG (1.5 mg/kg/d) for 5-7 days and those in the basiliximab group (n = 362) were given 2 doses of basiliximab (20 mg) on posttransplantation days 0 and 4. All patients received standard triple immunosuppressive therapy with calcineurin inhibitors, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroids.

There were statistically significant differences in the incidences of delayed graft function, 1-year acute rejection rate, death-censored graft survival, and patient survival between the 2 groups, even though the ATG group had more kidney transplants from deceased donors, higher levels of panel reactive antibodies, and more retransplantations. The incidences of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and parvovirus infection in the ATG group were higher than those in the basiliximab group. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of CMV disease between the 2 groups.

ATG is safe and efficacious for use in kidney transplant recipients. Our results suggest that ATG should be considered for induction therapy in high-risk patients, such as those who have a kidney allograft from a deceased donor, high levels of panel reactive antibodies, and are undergoing retransplantation.