Humoral and T-cell mediated response after administration of mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 in frail populations

Roberta Campagna; Laura Mazzuti; Giuliana Guerrizio; Chiara Nonne; Giuseppe Migliara; Corrado De Vito; Ivano Mezzaroma; Sabina Chiaretti; Caterina Fimiani; Valentina Pistolesi; Santo Morabito; Ombretta Turriziani

doi:10.1016/j.jvacx.2022.100246

Humoral and T-cell mediated response after administration of mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 in frail populations

Vaccine X. 2022 Dec:12:100246. doi: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2022.100246. Epub 2022 Dec 5.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular Medicine Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell'Università, 33, 000185 Rome, Italy.
² Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
³ Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell'Università, 37, 00185 Rome, Italy.
⁴ Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrine-Metabolic Sciences and Infectious Disease, Policlinico Umberto I, 155, 00161, Italy.
⁵ Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties Sapienza University of Rome, Policlinico, 155, 00161 Rome, Italy.

Abstract

Patients with frailty are considered to be at greater risk to get severe infection from SARS-CoV-2. One of the most effective strategies is vaccination. In our study we evaluated both the humoral immune response elicited by the vaccination at different time points, and the T-cell response in terms of interferon (IFN)-γ production in frail patients and healthy donors. Fifty-seven patients (31 patients undergoing hemodialysis and 26 HIV positive subjects) and 39 healthcare workers were enrolled. All participants received two doses of the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2. Healthcare workers showed a significantly higher antibody titer than patients twenty-one days after the first dose (p < 0.001). From the same time point we observed for both groups a decay of the antibody levels with a steeper slope of decline in the patients group. Regarding T-cell response the only significant difference between non-reactive and reactive subjects was found in median antibody levels, higher in the responders group than in non-responders. The healthcare workers seem to better respond to the vaccination in terms of antibodies production; the lack of T-cell response in about 50% of the participants seems to suggest that in our study population both humoral and cell-mediated response decline over time remarking the importance of the booster doses, particularly for frail patients.

Keywords: HIV; Hemodialysis; Humoral response; SARS-CoV-2; T-cell response; Vaccine.