COVID-19 Vaccination Responses with Different Vaccine Platforms in Patients with Inborn Errors of Immunity

Seroconversion in liver and intestine transplant patients after one, two or three doses of adenoviral vector vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Single center experience in Argentina

BACKGROUND

The capacity of different anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to elicit immune response is not equivalent in the healthy population compared to chronically immunosuppressed patients. Most of the reports available to assess the effects of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines on solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR) were performed using mRNA-based vaccines.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to assess the seroconversion rate in a cohort of liver and liver- intestinal transplant patients after vaccination with the non-replicative vector-based vaccines after transplantation used in our country, Argentina (rAd26-rAd5 (Sputnik V) and ChAdOx11 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) (Astra Zeneca-Oxford).

METHODS

One hundred and three (103) liver and liver-intestinal transplant recipients were enrolled. Patients with previous PCR-confirmed COVID19 were excluded, therefore 77 were finally included for analysis; 75 were liver transplant recipients, 1 was a combined liver-intestine and 1 a multivisceral transplant. All received their first vaccine dose between March and June 2021; 66,2% males, and the mean age was 56,3 years. All patients have a post-transplant follow up longer than 1 year (mean 6.6 years, median 5 years, range 1-23 years). Immune response after first, second and third doses were determined using three different spike (S)-S commercial ELISA kits and an in-house made anti nucleocapsid-protein (N) ELISA.

RESULTS

Following the three doses, 57.1 % (44/77) of the patients seroconverted, while 33/77 (42.9 %) did not present anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The seroconversion rate was different for each dose. We found that 5/27 (18.5 %) of transplant patients seroconverted after a single dose; 18/29 pts (62.0 %) had anti-SARS-Cov-2 antibodies after the second doses; and 18/21 pts (85.7 %) reached the seroconversion after the third doses. The proportion of seroconversion was significantly increased in the second doses regardless the response observed after the first doses (p = 0.012, Fisher's exact test), particularly when two doses of ChAdOx11 vaccine was administrated (p = 0.040, Chi-square). However, the comparisons of seroconversion rate between Sputnik V and ChAdOx11 vaccines showed no differences after the different vaccination doses. No significant statistical difference in patient́s gender, age, comorbidities, type of vaccine, post-transplant, or maintenance immunosuppressive therapy was found between responders and non-responders.

CONCLUSION

Despite having a lower seroconversion rate compared to the general population, viral-vector vaccines benefit SOTR patients increasing the seroconversion rate using at least two doses of vaccine. These results support the concept of developing tailor-made vaccination guidelines for this specific population. This analysis provides further support to safety and efficacy of viral-vector vaccines in liver and liver-intestine transplant patients.

An Overview of the Strategies to Boost SARS-CoV-2-Specific Immunity in People with Inborn Errors of Immunity

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has heightened concerns about immunological protection, especially for individuals with inborn errors of immunity (IEI). While COVID-19 vaccines elicit strong immune responses in healthy individuals, their effectiveness in IEI patients remains unclear, particularly against new viral variants and vaccine formulations. This uncertainty has led to anxiety, prolonged self-isolation, and repeated vaccinations with uncertain benefits among IEI patients. Despite some level of immune response from vaccination, the definition of protective immunity in IEI individuals is still unknown. Given their susceptibility to severe COVID-19, strategies such as immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT) and monoclonal antibodies have been employed to provide passive immunity, and protection against both current and emerging variants. This review examines the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and antibody-based therapies in IEI patients, their capacity to recognize viral variants, and the necessary advances required for the ongoing protection of people with IEIs.

Perturbations of the T-cell receptor repertoire in response to SARS-CoV-2 in immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals

BACKGROUND

Functional T-cell responses are essential for virus clearance and long-term protection after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, whereas certain clinical factors, such as older age and immunocompromise, are associated with worse outcome.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to study the breadth and magnitude of T-cell responses in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and in individuals with inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) who had received COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.

METHODS

Using high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics tools to characterize the T-cell receptor β repertoire signatures in 540 individuals after SARS-CoV-2 infection, 31 IEI recipients of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, and healthy controls, we quantified HLA class I- and class II-restricted SARS-CoV-2-specific responses and also identified several HLA allele-clonotype motif associations in patients with COVID-19, including a subcohort of anti-type 1 interferon (IFN-1)-positive patients.

RESULTS

Our analysis revealed that elderly patients with COVID-19 with critical disease manifested lower SARS-CoV-2 T-cell clonotype diversity as well as T-cell responses with reduced magnitude, whereas the SARS-CoV-2-specific clonotypes targeted a broad range of HLA class I- and class II-restricted epitopes across the viral proteome. The presence of anti-IFN-I antibodies was associated with certain HLA alleles. Finally, COVID-19 mRNA immunization induced an increase in the breadth of SARS-CoV-2-specific clonotypes in patients with IEIs, including those who had failed to seroconvert.

CONCLUSIONS

Elderly individuals have impaired capacity to develop broad and sustained T-cell responses after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Genetic factors may play a role in the production of anti-IFN-1 antibodies. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are effective in inducing T-cell responses in patients with IEIs.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in primary antibody deficiencies: an overview on efficacy, immunogenicity, durability of immune response and safety

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review aims to summarize the current best knowledge on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination in vulnerable patients affected by primary antibody deficiencies (PADs), both in patients previously infected and vaccine-immunized, focusing also on the durability, on the need for multiple booster doses and on the safety of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

RECENT FINDINGS

Patients vaccinated for SARS-CoV2 have variable humoral response, still showing a tendency towards an increase in antibody titers, with factors such as booster doses, previous infections, age and specific genetic mutations influencing the outcome. Long-lasting cellular responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination instead, mostly of the T-cell type, have been observed. Overall, the duration of protection given by vaccinations is sufficient and increased upon further simulations. Furthermore, the safety profile in PID patients is excellent, with most adverse events being transient and mild and no major adverse event reported.

SUMMARY

Several studies have emphasized the benefit of vaccinating patients with PADs against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the necessity of administering booster doses. This review, by gathering the most recent and significant data from the scientific literature, could be helpful in clinical practice in the management of disease prevention in patients affected by primary immunodeficiency and also serve as inspiration for further in-depth clinical research.

Longevity of the humoral and cellular responses after SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccinations in immunocompromised patients

We assessed the humoral and cellular immune responses after two booster mRNA vaccine administrations [BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine)] in cohorts of immunocompromised patients (n = 199) and healthy controls (HC) (n = 54). All patients living with HIV (PLWH) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and almost all (98.2%) of the primary immunodeficiency (PID) patients had measurable antibodies 3 and 6 months after administration of the third and fourth vaccine dose, comparable to the HCs. In contrast, only 53.3% and 83.3% of the multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatologic patients, respectively, developed a humoral immune response. Cellular immune response was observed in all PLWH after administration of four vaccine doses. In addition, cellular immune response was positive in 89.6%, 97.8%, 73.3% and 96.9% of the PID, MS, rheumatologic and CKD patients, respectively. Unlike the other groups, only the MS patients had a significantly higher cellular immune response compared to the HC group. Administration of additional vaccine doses results in retained or increased humoral and cellular immune response in patients with acquired or inherited immune disorders.

Impact of Exposure to Vaccination and Infection on Cellular and Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2 in CVID Patients Through COVID-19 Pandemic

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to investigate the kinetics of response against SARS-CoV-2 elicited by vaccination and/or breakthrough infection (occurred after 3 doses of BNT162b2) in a cohort CVID patients.

METHODS

We measured humoral and cellular immunity using quantitative anti-spike antibody (anti-S-IgG) and neutralization assay and specific interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) before and after the third or fourth dose of BNT162b2 and/or after COVID-19.

RESULTS

In CVID, 58.3% seroconverted after 2 doses that increased to 77.8% after 3 doses. Between the second and third dose, there was a decline in humoral compartment that led to titers below the cutoff of 1:10 (MNA90%) in CVID. This was paralleled by a significantly lower proportion (30%) and reduced magnitude of the residual cellular response among CVID. The third dose achieved a lower titer of anti-S and nAb against the Wuhan strain than HC and significantly decreased the rate of those showing solely a positive neutralizing activity and those with simultaneous negativity of IGRA and nAbs; the differences in IGRA were overall reduced with respect to HC. At further sampling after breakthrough SARS-COV-2 infection, mostly in the omicron era, or fourth dose, 6 months after the last event, the residual nAb titer to Wuhan strain was still significantly higher in HC, while there was no significant difference of nAbs to BA.1. The rate of IGRA responders was 65.5% in CVID and 90.5% in HC (p=0.04), while the magnitude of response was similar. None of CVID had double negativity to nAbs and IGRA at the last sampling.

CONCLUSION

This data shows an increase of adaptive immunity in CVID after mRNA vaccination in parallel to boosters, accrual number of exposures and formation of hybrid immunity.

The development and application of pseudoviruses: assessment of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses

Although most Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients can recover fully, the disease remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. In addition to the consequences of acute infection, a proportion of the population experiences long-term adverse effects associated with SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, it is still critical to comprehend the virus's characteristics and how it interacts with its host to develop effective drugs and vaccines against COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, a replication-deficient recombinant glycoprotein chimeric viral particle, enables investigations of highly pathogenic viruses to be conducted without the constraint of high-level biosafety facilities, considerably advancing virology and being extensively employed in the study of SARS-CoV-2. This review summarizes three methods of establishing SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and current knowledge in vaccine development, neutralizing antibody research, and antiviral drug screening, as well as recent progress in virus entry mechanism and susceptible cell screening. We also discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Response to COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients With Primary Immunodeficiencies

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) are heterogeneous, rare disorders that increase susceptibility to infection and/or immune dysregulation. Individuals with certain PIDs are at high risk of severe or fatal outcomes from SARS-CoV-2 infections (the causative agent of COVID-19), either due to the underlying PID and/or due to the presence of comorbidities such as severe lung and liver disease. Vaccination remains the primary strategy to protect individuals with PID from COVID-19. However, populations with PID exhibit variable vaccine seroresponse rates, antibody titers, and neutralization activity depending on the type of PID and/or COVID-19 vaccine, and consequently, are at an elevated risk of severe disease. In this article, we review the COVID-19 burden in patients with PIDs and focus in-depth on findings from patients with predominantly antibody deficiencies or combined immunodeficiencies. We conclude by providing COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for this population.

Response to SARS-CoV-2 initial series and additional dose vaccine in pediatric patients with predominantly antibody deficiency

Data regarding response to SARS-CoV-2 immunization in pediatric patients with predominantly antibody deficiency (PAD) is limited. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 immunization response by anti-SARS-CoV-2-spike antibody level in 15 pediatric PAD patients. These data were compared to a published cohort of adult PAD patients (n=62) previously analyzed following SARS-CoV-2 immunization at our single center institution. We evaluated demographics, clinical characteristics, immunophenotype, infection history, and past medication use by chart review. Following a two-dose monovalent initial series SARS-CoV-2 immunization, mean anti-SARS-CoV-2-spike antibody levels were significantly higher in pediatric PAD patients compared to adult PAD patients (2,890.7 vs. 140.1 U/mL; p<0.0001). Pediatric PAD patients with low class-switched memory B-cells, defined as <2% of total CD19+ B-cells, had significantly lower mean anti-SARS-CoV-2-spike antibody levels than those without (p=0.02). Following a third-dose monovalent SARS-CoV-2 immunization, the mean anti-SARS-CoV-2-spike antibody levels in pediatric PAD patients significantly increased (2,890.7 to 18,267.2 U/mL; p<0.0001). These data support Centers for Disease Control guidelines regarding three-part SARS-CoV-2 vaccine series, including in the pediatric PAD patient demographic.

New Onset Autoimmune Diseases after the Sputnik Vaccine

The vertiginous advance for identifying the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 allowed the development of a vaccine including mRNA-based vaccines, inactivated viruses, protein subunits, and adenoviral vaccines such as Sputnik. This study aims to report on autoimmune disease manifestations that occurred following COVID-19 Sputnik vaccination. Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patients with new-onset autoimmune diseases induced by a post-COVID-19 vaccine between March 2021 and December 2022, in two referral hospitals in Mexico City and Argentina. The study evaluated patients who received the Sputnik vaccine and developed recent-onset autoimmune diseases. Results: Twenty-eight patients developed recent-onset autoimmune diseases after Sputnik vaccine. The median age was 56.9 ± 21.7 years, with 14 females and 14 males. The autoimmune diseases observed were neurological in 13 patients (46%), hematological autoimmune manifestations occurred in 12 patients (42%), with thrombotic disease observed in 10 patients (28%), and autoimmune hemolytic anemia in two patients (7.1%). Rheumatological disorders were present in two patients (7.1%), and endocrine disorders in one patient (3.5%). Principio del formulario Conclusion: Although the COVID-19 Sputnik vaccine is generally safe, it can lead to adverse effects. Thrombosis and Guillain-Barre were the most frequent manifestations observed in our group of patients.

Cytokine Response Following SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Stimulation in Patients with Predominantly Antibody Deficiencies

Predominantly antibody deficiencies (PADs) are inborn disorders characterized by immune dysregulation and increased susceptibility to infections. Response to vaccination, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), may be impaired in these patients, and studies on responsiveness correlates, including cytokine signatures to antigen stimulation, are sparse. In this study, we aimed to describe the spike-specific cytokine response following whole-blood stimulation with SARS-CoV-2 spike peptides in patients with PAD (n = 16 with common variable immunodeficiency and n = 15 with selective IgA deficiency) and its relationship with the occurrence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during up to 10-month follow-up period. Spike-induced antibody and cytokine production was measured using ELISA (anti-spike IgG, IFN-γ) and xMAP technology (interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-15, IL-17A, IL-21, TNF-α, TGF-β1). No difference was found in the production of cytokines between patients with PAD and controls. Anti-spike IgG and cytokine levels did not predict contraction of COVID-19. The only cytokine that distinguished between vaccinated and naturally infected unvaccinated PAD patients was IFN-γ (median 0.64 (IQR = 1.08) in vaccinated vs. 0.10 (IQR = 0.28) in unvaccinated). This study describes the spike-specific cytokine response to SARS-CoV-2 antigens, which is not predictive of contracting COVID-19 during the follow-up.