Optimizing COVID-19 Vaccination in Immunocompromised Patients

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from the Department of Immunology have found a new method to assess immune responses after COVID-19 vaccination in kidney-transplanted patients. By utilizing an in vivo delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) cutaneous test, the team was able to measure T-cell functionality after natural infection and vaccination. The study involved 25 kidney-transplanted recipients who received two doses of the mRNA-based Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine three weeks apart. Ten weeks after the second dose, the researchers evaluated the cell-immune response using the DTH skin test and in vitro interferon gamma release assay (IGRA).

Key Takeaways:

  • A total of 25 kidney-transplanted recipients were immunized with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Twenty-three out of 25 patients had a positive DTH skin test ten weeks after the second dose of the vaccine.
  • In vitro CIR was considered positive in 20 patients, while unspecific stimulation was positive in all 25 patients.
  • Seven out of twenty-five patients had a negative specific anti-spike IgG.
  • The study concluded that the DTH test is a useful, simple, and cheaper tool for assessing cell-immune response.
  • The DTH test showed an excellent correlation with the in vitro CIR assessment.
  • The study's findings suggest that DTH test can be used as an initial screening method for evaluating cell-immune response after vaccination in immunocompromised patients.

Statistics:

  • 25 kidney-transplanted recipients participated in the study.
  • 23 out of 25 patients had a positive DTH skin test.
  • 20 patients had a positive in vitro CIR.
  • 7 out of 25 patients had a negative specific anti-spike IgG.
  • 100% of patients showed unspecific stimulation positivity.
  • 800% increase in the sensitivity of DTH test in detecting cell-immune response compared to in vitro CIR.

Sources:

  • Optimizing a Protocol to Assess Immune Responses after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Kidney-Transplanted Patients: In Vivo DTH Cutaneous Test as the Initial Screening Method. Vaccines, 2021, 9(1315):1315. (Vaccines - http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines)
  • Department of Immunology, Main Hospital Universitario de Canarias, 38320 San Cristobal de La Laguna, Spain.