The Cellular and Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Messenger RNA Vaccines Is Significantly Better in Liver Transplant Patients Compared with Kidney Transplant Patients
Patients after organ transplantation have impaired immune response after vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. So far, published studies have reported quite different response rates to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, ranging from 15–79% in liver and kidney transplant recipients. Up to one year after the...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-07-01
|
| Series: | Pathogens |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/12/7/910 |
| _version_ | 1797587881842180096 |
|---|---|
| author | Anja Lautem Simone Cosima Boedecker-Lips Elisa Schneider Stefan Runkel Christina Feist Hauke Lang Julia Weinmann-Menke Martina Koch |
| author_facet | Anja Lautem Simone Cosima Boedecker-Lips Elisa Schneider Stefan Runkel Christina Feist Hauke Lang Julia Weinmann-Menke Martina Koch |
| author_sort | Anja Lautem |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Patients after organ transplantation have impaired immune response after vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. So far, published studies have reported quite different response rates to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, ranging from 15–79% in liver and kidney transplant recipients. Up to one year after the first vaccine dose, we analyzed the humoral and cellular immune response of 21 liver transplant (LTX) patients after vaccination with mRNA vaccines compared with 28 kidney transplant (KTX) patients. We evaluated IgG against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as well as SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells using an ELISpot assay that detected IFN-γ- and/or IL-2-expressing T cells. We found a cellular and/or humoral immune response in 100% of the LTX patients compared with 68% of the KTX patients. Antibody titers against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 were significantly higher in the LTX group, and significantly more LTX patients had detectable specific IL-2-producing T cells. The immunosuppression applied in our LTX cohort was lower compared with the KTX cohort (14% triple therapy in LTX patients vs. 79% in KTX patients). One year after the first vaccination, breakthrough infections could be detected in 41% of all organ transplant patients. None of those patients suffered from a severe course of COVID-19 disease, indicating that a partial vaccination response seemed to offer protection to immunosuppressed patients. The better immune response of LTX patients after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination might be due to less intense immunosuppressive therapy compared with KTX patients. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:45:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a04d1176d07541a096d8e3e0973869a6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:45:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj.art-a04d1176d07541a096d8e3e0973869a62023-11-18T20:50:46ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172023-07-0112791010.3390/pathogens12070910The Cellular and Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Messenger RNA Vaccines Is Significantly Better in Liver Transplant Patients Compared with Kidney Transplant PatientsAnja Lautem0Simone Cosima Boedecker-Lips1Elisa Schneider2Stefan Runkel3Christina Feist4Hauke Lang5Julia Weinmann-Menke6Martina Koch7Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University, D 55131 Mainz, GermanyDepartment of Nephrology, I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University, D 55131 Mainz, GermanyDepartment of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University, D 55131 Mainz, GermanyBlood Transfusion Center, University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University, D 55131 Mainz, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University, D 55131 Mainz, GermanyDepartment of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University, D 55131 Mainz, GermanyDepartment of Nephrology, I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University, D 55131 Mainz, GermanyDepartment of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University, D 55131 Mainz, GermanyPatients after organ transplantation have impaired immune response after vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. So far, published studies have reported quite different response rates to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, ranging from 15–79% in liver and kidney transplant recipients. Up to one year after the first vaccine dose, we analyzed the humoral and cellular immune response of 21 liver transplant (LTX) patients after vaccination with mRNA vaccines compared with 28 kidney transplant (KTX) patients. We evaluated IgG against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as well as SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells using an ELISpot assay that detected IFN-γ- and/or IL-2-expressing T cells. We found a cellular and/or humoral immune response in 100% of the LTX patients compared with 68% of the KTX patients. Antibody titers against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 were significantly higher in the LTX group, and significantly more LTX patients had detectable specific IL-2-producing T cells. The immunosuppression applied in our LTX cohort was lower compared with the KTX cohort (14% triple therapy in LTX patients vs. 79% in KTX patients). One year after the first vaccination, breakthrough infections could be detected in 41% of all organ transplant patients. None of those patients suffered from a severe course of COVID-19 disease, indicating that a partial vaccination response seemed to offer protection to immunosuppressed patients. The better immune response of LTX patients after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination might be due to less intense immunosuppressive therapy compared with KTX patients.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/12/7/910SARS-CoV-2transplantationimmunosuppressionimmune responsevaccination |
| spellingShingle | Anja Lautem Simone Cosima Boedecker-Lips Elisa Schneider Stefan Runkel Christina Feist Hauke Lang Julia Weinmann-Menke Martina Koch The Cellular and Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Messenger RNA Vaccines Is Significantly Better in Liver Transplant Patients Compared with Kidney Transplant Patients Pathogens SARS-CoV-2 transplantation immunosuppression immune response vaccination |
| title | The Cellular and Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Messenger RNA Vaccines Is Significantly Better in Liver Transplant Patients Compared with Kidney Transplant Patients |
| title_full | The Cellular and Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Messenger RNA Vaccines Is Significantly Better in Liver Transplant Patients Compared with Kidney Transplant Patients |
| title_fullStr | The Cellular and Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Messenger RNA Vaccines Is Significantly Better in Liver Transplant Patients Compared with Kidney Transplant Patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Cellular and Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Messenger RNA Vaccines Is Significantly Better in Liver Transplant Patients Compared with Kidney Transplant Patients |
| title_short | The Cellular and Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Messenger RNA Vaccines Is Significantly Better in Liver Transplant Patients Compared with Kidney Transplant Patients |
| title_sort | cellular and humoral immune response to sars cov 2 messenger rna vaccines is significantly better in liver transplant patients compared with kidney transplant patients |
| topic | SARS-CoV-2 transplantation immunosuppression immune response vaccination |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/12/7/910 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT anjalautem thecellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT simonecosimaboedeckerlips thecellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT elisaschneider thecellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT stefanrunkel thecellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT christinafeist thecellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT haukelang thecellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT juliaweinmannmenke thecellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT martinakoch thecellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT anjalautem cellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT simonecosimaboedeckerlips cellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT elisaschneider cellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT stefanrunkel cellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT christinafeist cellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT haukelang cellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT juliaweinmannmenke cellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients AT martinakoch cellularandhumoralimmuneresponsetosarscov2messengerrnavaccinesissignificantlybetterinlivertransplantpatientscomparedwithkidneytransplantpatients |