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Roznik K, Xue J, Stavrakis G, Johnston TS, Kalluri D, Ohsie R, Qin CX, McAteer J, Segev DL, Mogul D, Werbel WA, Karaba AH, Thompson EA, Cox AL. COVID-19 vaccination induces distinct T-cell responses in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients and immunocompetent children. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:73. [PMID: 38580714 PMCID: PMC10997632 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00866-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination are attenuated in adult solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) and additional vaccine doses are recommended for this population. However, whether COVID-19 mRNA vaccine responses are limited in pediatric SOTRs (pSOTRs) compared to immunocompetent children is unknown. Due to SARS-CoV-2 evolution and mutations that evade neutralizing antibodies, T cells may provide important defense in SOTRs who mount poor humoral responses. Therefore, we assessed anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titers, surrogate neutralization, and spike (S)-specific T-cell responses to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in pSOTRs and their healthy siblings (pHCs) before and after the bivalent vaccine dose. Despite immunosuppression, pSOTRs demonstrated humoral responses to both ancestral strain and Omicron subvariants following the primary ancestral strain monovalent mRNA COVID-19 series and multiple booster doses. These responses were not significantly different from those observed in pHCs and significantly higher six months after vaccination than responses in adult SOTRs two weeks post-vaccination. However, pSOTRs mounted limited S-specific CD8+ T-cell responses and qualitatively distinct CD4+ T-cell responses, primarily producing IL-2 and TNF with less IFN-γ production compared to pHCs. Bivalent vaccination enhanced humoral responses in some pSOTRs but did not shift the CD4+ T-cell responses toward increased IFN-γ production. Our findings indicate that S-specific CD4+ T cells in pSOTRs have distinct qualities with unknown protective capacity, yet vaccination produces cross-reactive antibodies not significantly different from responses in pHCs. Given altered T-cell responses, additional vaccine doses in pSOTRs to maintain high titer cross-reactive antibodies may be important in ensuring protection against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Roznik
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jiashu Xue
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Georgia Stavrakis
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - T Scott Johnston
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Divya Kalluri
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rivka Ohsie
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Caroline X Qin
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - John McAteer
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dorry L Segev
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Baltimore, MD, USA
- NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, New York, NY, USA
| | - Douglas Mogul
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - William A Werbel
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew H Karaba
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Thompson
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrea L Cox
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Bamber HN, Kim JJ, Reynolds BC, Afzaal J, Lunn AJ, Tighe PJ, Irving WL, Tarr AW. Increasing SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among UK pediatric patients on dialysis and kidney transplantation between January 2020 and August 2021. Pediatr Nephrol 2023; 38:3745-3755. [PMID: 37261514 PMCID: PMC10233184 DOI: 10.1007/s00467-023-05983-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 11 March 2020, as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread rapidly across the world. We investigated the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in pediatric patients on dialysis or kidney transplantation in the UK. METHODS Excess sera samples were obtained prospectively during outpatient visits or haemodialysis sessions and analysed using a custom immunoassay calibrated with population age-matched healthy controls. Two large pediatric centres contributed samples. RESULTS In total, 520 sera from 145 patients (16 peritoneal dialysis, 16 haemodialysis, 113 transplantation) were analysed cross-sectionally from January 2020 until August 2021. No anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody positive samples were detected in 2020 when lockdown and enhanced social distancing measures were enacted. Thereafter, the proportion of positive samples increased from 5% (January 2021) to 32% (August 2021) following the emergence of the Alpha variant. Taking all patients, 32/145 (22%) were seropositive, including 8/32 (25%) with prior laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and 12/32 (38%) post-vaccination (one of whom was also infected after vaccination). The remaining 13 (41%) seropositive patients had no known stimulus, representing subclinical cases. Antibody binding signals were comparable across patient ages and dialysis versus transplantation and highest against full-length spike protein versus spike subunit-1 and nucleocapsid protein. CONCLUSIONS Anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was low in 2020 and increased in early 2021. Serological surveillance complements nucleic acid detection and antigen testing to build a greater picture of the epidemiology of COVID-19 and is therefore important to guide public health responses. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly N Bamber
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jon Jin Kim
- Department of Paediatric Nephrology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, UK
- Centre for Kidney Research and Innovation, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Ben C Reynolds
- Department of Paediatric Nephrology, Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, UK
| | - Javairiya Afzaal
- Department of Paediatric Nephrology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, UK
| | - Andrew J Lunn
- Department of Paediatric Nephrology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, UK
| | - Patrick J Tighe
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - William L Irving
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Microbiology, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Alexander W Tarr
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
- Microbiology, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.
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Kang JM, Kang M, Kim YE, Choi Y, An SJ, Seong J, Go MJ, Huh K, Jung J. Severe coronavirus disease 2019 in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients: Big data convergence study in Korea (K-COV-N cohort). Int J Infect Dis 2023; 134:220-227. [PMID: 37352913 PMCID: PMC10284429 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The risk of severe COVID-19 in children with a solid organ transplant (SOT) is not well established. We compare the relative risk of severe COVID-19 infection between pediatric SOT and non-SOT children. METHODS The newly constructed K-COV-N cohort (Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency-COVID-19-National Health Insurance Service) was used. Children with COVID-19 (<18 years old) who underwent SOT between January 2008 to January 2022 were included. Non-SOT children with COVID-19 were selected in a ratio of 1:4 using propensity score matching. Three definitions of severe COVID-19 were established based on their requirement for respiratory support: severe I (requiring respiratory support above a high-flow nasal cannula or prolonged hospitalization ≥6 days), severe II (requiring any oxygen supplement), and severe III (requiring any oxygen supplement or prolonged hospitalization ≥6 days). RESULTS Among 2,957,323 children with COVID-19, 206 pediatric SOT recipients (SOTRs) were identified and included in the analysis along with 803 matched non-SOT children. Most infections (96.6%) occurred during the Omicron period; no cases of mortality were reported. Pediatric SOTR had a 3.6-fold (95% confidence interval = 1.1-11.7, P = 0.03) higher risk of severe I, and a 4.9-fold (95% confidence interval = 1.6-15.0, P = 0.006) higher risk of severe III than non-SOT children. No cases of severe II occurred in the non-SOT children. Although not statistically significant, no severe COVID-19 cases were reported in the vaccinated SOT group (0.0% vs 5.7%, P = 0.09 in severe III). CONCLUSION Pediatric SOTRs have a significantly higher risk of severe COVID-19 than non-SOT children. Our findings support the need for tailored strategies for these high-risk children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Man Kang
- Department of Pediatrics, Severance Children's Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; Institute for Immunology and Immunological Diseases, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Minsun Kang
- Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Convergence Center, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Young-Eun Kim
- Department of Big Data Strategy, National Health Insurance Service, Wonju, South Korea
| | - Yoonkyung Choi
- Department of Big Data Strategy, National Health Insurance Service, Wonju, South Korea
| | - Soo Jeong An
- Department of Big Data Management, National Health Insurance Service, Wonju, South Korea
| | - Jaehyun Seong
- Division of Clinical Research, Center for Emerging Virus Research, National Institute of Infectious Disease, National Institute of Health, Osong, South Korea
| | - Min Jin Go
- Division of Clinical Research, Center for Emerging Virus Research, National Institute of Infectious Disease, National Institute of Health, Osong, South Korea
| | - Kyungmin Huh
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
| | - Jaehun Jung
- Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Convergence Center, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, South Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, South Korea.
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Stich M, Di Cristanziano V, Tönshoff B, Weber LT, Dötsch J, Rammer MT, Rieger S, Heger E, Garbade SF, Burgmaier K, Benning L, Speer C, Habbig S, Haumann S. Humoral immune response and live-virus neutralization of the SARS-CoV-2 omicron (BA.1) variant after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in children and young adults with chronic kidney disease. Pediatr Nephrol 2022; 38:1935-1948. [PMID: 36409368 PMCID: PMC9684918 DOI: 10.1007/s00467-022-05806-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Data on humoral immune response to standard COVID-19 vaccination are scarce in adolescent patients and lacking for children below 12 years of age with chronic kidney disease including kidney transplant recipients. METHODS We therefore investigated in this retrospective two-center study (DRKS00024668; registered 23.03.2021) the humoral immune response to a standard two-dose mRNA vaccine regimen in 123 CKD patients aged 5-30 years. A live-virus assay was used to assess the serum neutralizing activity against the SARS-CoV-2 omicron (BA.1) variant. RESULTS Children aged 5-11 years had a comparable rate and degree of immune response to adolescents despite lower vaccine doses (10 µg vs. 30 µg BNT162b2). Treatment with two (odds ratio 9.24) or three or more (odds ratio 17.07) immunosuppressants was an independent risk factor for nonresponse. The immune response differed significantly among three patient cohorts: 48 of 77 (62.3%) kidney transplant recipients, 21 of 26 (80.8%) patients on immunosuppressive therapy, and 19 of 20 (95.0%) patients with chronic kidney disease without immunosuppressive therapy responded. In the kidney transplant recipients, immunosuppressive regimens comprising mycophenolate mofetil, an eGFR of < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, and female sex were independent risk factors for nonresponse. Two of 18 (11.1%) and 8 of 16 (50.0%) patients with an anti-S1-RBD IgG of 100-1411 and > 1411 BAU/mL, respectively, showed a neutralization activity against the omicron variant. CONCLUSION A standard mRNA vaccine regimen in immunosuppressed children and adolescents with kidney disease elicits an attenuated humoral immune response with effective live virus neutralization against the omicron variant in approximately 10% of the patients, underlying the need for omicron-adapted vaccination. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Stich
- Department of Pediatrics I, University Children's Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Veronica Di Cristanziano
- Institute of Virology, University Hospital Cologne and Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Burkhard Tönshoff
- Department of Pediatrics I, University Children's Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lutz Thorsten Weber
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Cologne and Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jörg Dötsch
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Cologne and Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Marian Theodor Rammer
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Cologne and Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Susanne Rieger
- Department of Pediatrics I, University Children's Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Eva Heger
- Institute of Virology, University Hospital Cologne and Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sven F Garbade
- Department of Pediatrics I, University Children's Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kathrin Burgmaier
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Cologne and Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Faculty of Applied Healthcare Science, Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Deggendorf, Germany
| | - Louise Benning
- Department of Nephrology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Claudius Speer
- Department of Nephrology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sandra Habbig
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Cologne and Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Sophie Haumann
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Cologne and Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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