In the First Few Days Following Organ Transplantation, Patients Are

In the first few days following organ transplantation, patients are often treated with several doses of an antibody mixture known as anti-thymocyte globulin. The anti-thymocyte globulin is generated by immunizing rabbits or horses with human T cells, to generate antibodies against the human T cell surface molecules. Following the anti-thymocyte globulin treatment, patients are generally put on a sustained regimen of cyclosporin A or other small-molecule immunosuppressive drugs. The immediate post-operative treatment with anti-thymocyte globulin is likely used to:

A) Activate the patient's T cells in vivo to prevent infections
B) Enhance the binding of the T-cell receptor to peptide:MHC on the graft
C) Temporarily deplete the patient's T cells
D) Allow the clinicians to monitor the patient's T cell numbers by flow cytometry
E) Stimulate the development of FoxP3+ T_reg cells