Experience with antilymphocyte globulin in 144 renal transplant recipients

In patients receiving cadaveric kidneys and treated with antilymphocyte globulin (ALG) the one-year graft survival 59%. The corresponding figures with living related donors were 87% and 83%, respectively. Side effects of ALG, of which allergic reactions were the most common, prompted its withdrawal in 33% of the cases. All patients studied developed antibodies against horse gammaglobulin when tested with a passive haemagglutination inhibition technique. ALG seems to act upon the T-cells since the number of cells forming rosettes with sheep red blood cells was reduced.