Potential mechanisms of anaphylaxis to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines

The Polysorbate containing AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is tolerated by polyethylene glycol (PEG) allergic patients

BACKGROUND

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is the excipient found in the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. We previously demonstrated PEG allergy was a cause of severe anaphylaxis to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. PEG is widely used in many household products, cosmetics and medicines. However PEG allergy is rare, there have been few confirmed cases of PEG allergy. The excipient of potential concern in the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is polysorbate 80 (PS80). Cross-reactivity between PEG and polysorbate has been suggested, based on their composition and skin-test data. The aim of this study was to determine whether PEG-allergic patients could be vaccinated with the PS80 containing AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

METHOD

Eight patients with PEG allergy were identified by the allergy clinic at Cambridge University Hospital. Patients underwent skin prick testing to PS80 (20%) and to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine prior to vaccination.

RESULTS

All eight patients allergic to PEG tolerated the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, even in 2 patients where the PS80 skin prick test was positive and 1 with a positive skin prick test to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

CONCLUSION

Patients allergic to PEG, previously denied COVID vaccination, may now be safely vaccinated with the PS80 containing AstraZeneca vaccine and need only avoid the PEG-containing mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. This opens up the possibility that these patients will also tolerate other vaccines containing PS80 such as the Janssen/Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Clinical cross-reactivity between PEG and PS80 did not occur in this vaccine setting.

Nano-carriers of COVID-19 vaccines: the main pillars of efficacy

As the current COVID-19 pandemic illustrates, vaccination is the most powerful method of disease prevention and public confidence in vaccines depends on their safety and efficacy. The information gathered in the current pandemic is growing at an accelerated pace. Both the key vital protein DNA/RNA messengers and the delivery carriers are the elements of a puzzle including their interactions with the immune system to suppress SARS-CoV-2 infection. A new nano-era is beginning in the vaccine development field and an array of side applications for diagnostic and antiviral tools will likely emerge. This review focuses on the evolution of vaccine carriers up to COVID-19-aimed nanoparticles and the immune-related adverse effects imposed by these nanocarriers.

Update on the COVID-19 Vaccine Research Trends: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is ravaging the world. To date, there are no standard therapies available to cure the disease. Consequently, research on COVID-19 vaccines is booming. This report aimed to assess the research trends of the global COVID-19 vaccines.

Methods

The relevant publications on the COVID-19 vaccines were searched in the Web of Science Core Collection Database (WOSCC) database from December 2019 to 11 August 2021. The VOSviewer1.6.16 was used to assess the co-authorship, co-occurrence, citation of countries, institutions, authors, journals, and hotspot keywords. The HistCite^TM (http://www.histcite.com/) software was used to calculate the total local citation score (TLCS) and total global citation score (TGCS) of each variable and generate the citation historiography graph of COVID-19 vaccine development using the citation time series analysis method.

Results

A total of 5070 studies authored by 21,151 researchers and published by 1364 different journals were eventually included in this study. The bulk of the retrieved studies were original articles (n = 2401, 47.36%). Among these studies, 1204 (23.75%) were published in 2020. A total of 3863 (76.19%) were published in 2021 and 4295 (84.71%) were open access. The highest number of studies was conducted in the USA, followed by England, China, and Germany. The main partners of the USA were China, England, and Canada. The University of Maryland (TLCS: 1618, TGCS: 2991) and Prof. Ugur Sahin from the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University (TLCS: 1397, TGCS: 2407) were the most cited institution and author, respectively. The vaccines featured the highest number of papers, with 294 publications (TLCS: 0, TGCS: 1226). The most cited journal was the New England Journal of Medicine (TLCS: 3310, TGCS: 5914), with an impact factor (IF) of 91.245. The related topics included the following six aspects: attitudes towards vaccination, immunoinformatics analysis, clinical research, effectiveness and side effects, and the public management of vaccines. The timing diagram revealed that the research hotspots focused on the side effects of vaccines and public attitude towards vaccination.

Conclusion

This novel comprehensive bibliometric analysis can help researchers and non-researchers to rapidly identify the potential partners, landmark studies, and research topics within their domains of interest. Through this study, we hope to provide more data to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

CoronaVac COVID-19 Vaccine-Induced Anaphylaxis: Clinical Characteristics and Revaccination Outcomes

Anaphylaxis to CoronaVac, an inactivated vaccine against COVID-19, is extremely rare. We report 12 cases of anaphylaxis after CoronaVac administration, focusing on clinical characteristics and management outcomes. Skin test and graded vaccine challenge were successfully performed in our cases and might be considered if an inactivated vaccine is the only remaining option.

The Risk of Allergic Reaction to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines and Recommended Evaluation and Management: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, GRADE Assessment, and International Consensus Approach

Concerns for anaphylaxis may hamper severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunization efforts. We convened a multidisciplinary group of international experts in anaphylaxis composed of allergy, infectious disease, emergency medicine, and front-line clinicians to systematically develop recommendations regarding SARS-CoV-2 vaccine immediate allergic reactions. Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, the World Health Organizstion (WHO) global coronavirus database, and the gray literature (inception, March 19, 2021) were systematically searched. Paired reviewers independently selected studies addressing anaphylaxis after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polysorbate allergy, and accuracy of allergy testing for SARS-CoV-2 vaccine allergy. Random effects models synthesized the data to inform recommendations based on the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, agreed upon using a modified Delphi panel. The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine anaphylaxis is 7.91 cases per million (n = 41,000,000 vaccinations; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 4.02-15.59; 26 studies, moderate certainty), the incidence of 0.15 cases per million patient-years (95% CI 0.11-0.2), and the sensitivity for PEG skin testing is poor, although specificity is high (15 studies, very low certainty). We recommend vaccination over either no vaccination or performing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine/excipient screening allergy testing for individuals without history of a severe allergic reaction to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine/excipient, and a shared decision-making paradigm in consultation with an allergy specialist for individuals with a history of a severe allergic reaction to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine/excipient. We recommend further research to clarify SARS-CoV-2 vaccine/vaccine excipient testing utility in individuals potentially allergic to SARS-CoV2 vaccines or their excipients.

Pseudo-Anaphylactic Reactions to Pfizer BNT162b2 Vaccine: Report of 3 Cases of Anaphylaxis Post Pfizer BNT162b2 Vaccination

Anaphylactic reactions were observed after Singapore's national coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination programme started in December 2020. We report the clinical and laboratory features of three patients in our institution who developed anaphylactic reactions after receiving the Pifzer BNT162b2 vaccine. IgM and IgG antibodies, but not IgE antibodies to the Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccine, were detected in all subjects. Similarly, mild to high elevated levels of anti-polyethylene glycol (PEG) IgG (1035-19709 U/mL, vs. vaccine-naive < 265 U/mL, vaccine-tolerant < 785 U/mL) and IgM (1682-5310 U/mL, vs. vaccine-naive < 1011 U/mL, vaccine-tolerant < 1007 U/mL) were detected in two out of three patients via commercial ELISA. High levels of serum anaphylatoxin C3a (79.0 ± 6.3 μg/mL, mean ± SD, vs. normal < 10 μg/mL) were observed in all three patients during the acute phase of the reaction, while tryptase levels, a marker of mast cell activation, were not elevated. Finally, one patient with the highest levels of anti-PEG IgG, IgM, and anti-Pfizer BNT162b2 IgG and IgM exhibited an enhanced Th2 cytokine serum profile during an acute reaction, with high levels of IL-4 (45.7 pg/mL, vs. vaccine-naive/tolerant < 2.30 pg/mL), IL-33 (86.4 pg/mL, vs. vaccine-naive/tolerant < 5.51 pg/mL) and IL-10 (22.9 pg/mL, vs. vaccine-naive/tolerant < 12.49 pg/mL) diminishing over time following corticosteroid treatment. Taken together, we propose these cases of anaphylaxis described are driven by a complement activation-related pseudoallergy (CAPRA), rather than classical IgE-mediated mechanisms.

Cutaneous and hypersensitivity reactions associated with COVID-19 vaccination-a narrative review

Vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV‑2) has become a major tool in the battle against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Numerous products have been developed and more are to come. Vaccination success varies greatly between different countries. There are a number of different vaccine types, such as mRNA, DNA vaccines, adenovirus vector vaccines, and full-length spike protein nanoparticles with a special matrix. The different types may also cause a different spectrum of adverse events. With mass vaccination, post-marketing surveillance for product safety becomes increasingly important. In this review, we discuss possible hypersensitivity and cutaneous adverse events related to SARS-CoV‑2 vaccination—from local reactions like COVID arm to systemic and severe reactions like anaphylaxis. Vaccination may also induce or exacerbate preexisting disorders such as herpes zoster infection. This review should provide information to tailor, whenever possible, vaccination to patients’ needs. It is a contribution to patient safety as well. There is general consensus that the benefits of SARS-CoV‑2 vaccination currently outweigh the risks of possible adverse events.

Artificial Intelligence in Surveillance, Diagnosis, Drug Discovery and Vaccine Development against COVID-19

As of August 6th, 2021, the World Health Organization has notified 200.8 million laboratory-confirmed infections and 4.26 million deaths from COVID-19, making it the worst pandemic since the 1918 flu. The main challenges in mitigating COVID-19 are effective vaccination, treatment, and agile containment strategies. In this review, we focus on the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in COVID-19 surveillance, diagnosis, outcome prediction, drug discovery and vaccine development. With the help of big data, AI tries to mimic the cognitive capabilities of a human brain, such as problem-solving and learning abilities. Machine Learning (ML), a subset of AI, holds special promise for solving problems based on experiences gained from the curated data. Advances in AI methods have created an unprecedented opportunity for building agile surveillance systems using the deluge of real-time data generated within a short span of time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many reports have discussed the utility of AI approaches in prioritization, delivery, surveillance, and supply chain of drugs, vaccines, and non-pharmaceutical interventions. This review will discuss the clinical utility of AI-based models and will also discuss limitations and challenges faced by AI systems, such as model generalizability, explainability, and trust as pillars for real-life deployment in healthcare.

Artificial Intelligence in Surveillance, Diagnosis, Drug Discovery and Vaccine Development against COVID-19

As of August 6th, 2021, the World Health Organization has notified 200.8 million laboratory-confirmed infections and 4.26 million deaths from COVID-19, making it the worst pandemic since the 1918 flu. The main challenges in mitigating COVID-19 are effective vaccination, treatment, and agile containment strategies. In this review, we focus on the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in COVID-19 surveillance, diagnosis, outcome prediction, drug discovery and vaccine development. With the help of big data, AI tries to mimic the cognitive capabilities of a human brain, such as problem-solving and learning abilities. Machine Learning (ML), a subset of AI, holds special promise for solving problems based on experiences gained from the curated data. Advances in AI methods have created an unprecedented opportunity for building agile surveillance systems using the deluge of real-time data generated within a short span of time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many reports have discussed the utility of AI approaches in prioritization, delivery, surveillance, and supply chain of drugs, vaccines, and non-pharmaceutical interventions. This review will discuss the clinical utility of AI-based models and will also discuss limitations and challenges faced by AI systems, such as model generalizability, explainability, and trust as pillars for real-life deployment in healthcare.

COVID-19 Vaccines in Children with Cow's Milk and Food Allergies

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most challenging global health crisis of our times. Vaccination against COVID-19 plays a key role to control the current pandemic situation. The risk of allergic reactions to new COVID-19 vaccines is low. However, there is a debate on the safety in allergic patients following post marketing findings by different agencies. Our aim is to understand from current experiences whether children with cow's milk or food allergy are at higher risk than a general population for allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines. Current data indicate that patients with a history of allergy to cow's milk or other foods, even if severe, should receive COVID-19 vaccine in a setting with availability of treatments for anaphylactic reactions and under medical supervision. Recipients should be discharged after a protracted observation period of 30 min if no reaction developed.