Immunity against Delta and Omicron variants elicited by homologous inactivated vaccine booster in kidney transplant recipients

Front Immunol. 2023 Jan 9:13:1042784. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1042784. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Background: A third mRNA vaccine booster is recommended to improve immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). However, the immunity against SARS-CoV-2 Ancestral strain and Delta and Omicron variants elicited by the third dose of inactivated booster vaccine in KTRs remains unknown.

Methods: The blood parameters related to blood cells count, hepatic function, kidney function, heart injury and immunity were explored clinically from laboratory examinations. SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody IgG titer was detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cellular immunity was analyzed using interferon-γ enzyme-linked immunospot assay.

Results: The results showed that there were no severe adverse effects and apparent changes of clinical laboratory biomarkers in KTRs and healthy volunteers (HVs) after homologous inactivated vaccine booster. A third dose of inactivated vaccine booster significantly increased anti-Ancestral-spike-trimer-IgG and anti-Ancestral-receptor binding domain (RBD)-IgG titers in KTRs and HVs compared with the second vaccination. However, the anti-Delta-RBD-IgG and anti-Omicron-RBD-IgG titers were significantly lower than anti-Ancestral-RBD-IgG titer in KTRs and HVs after the third dose. Notably, only 25.6% (10/39) and 10.3% (4/39) of KTRs had seropositivity for anti-Delta-RBD-IgG and anti-Omicron-RBD-IgG after booster, which were significantly lower than HVs (anti-Delta-RBD-IgG: 100%, anti-Omicron-RBD-IgG: 77.8%). Ancestral strain nucleocapsid protein and spike specific T cell frequency after booster was not significantly increased in KTRs compared with the second dose, significantly lower than that in HVs. Moreover, 33.3% (12/36), 14.3% (3/21) and 14.3% (3/21) of KTRs were positive for the Ancestral strain and Delta and Omicron spike-specific T cells, which were significantly lower than HVs (Ancestral: 80.8%, Delta: 53.8%, and Omicron: 57.7%).

Conclusions: A third dose of inactivated booster vaccine may significantly increase humoral immunity against the Ancestral strain in KTRs, while humoral and cellular immunity against the Delta and Omicron variants were still poor in KTRs.

Keywords: Delta variants; Omicron variants; binding antibody; cellular immunity; inactivated vaccine booster; kidney transplant recipients.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • COVID-19 Vaccines* / immunology
  • COVID-19* / immunology
  • COVID-19* / prevention & control
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunospot Assay
  • Humans
  • Immunization, Secondary
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Kidney Transplantation*
  • SARS-CoV-2

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • COVID-19 Vaccines

Supplementary concepts

  • SARS-CoV-2 variants
  • COVID-19 vaccine booster shot

Grants and funding

This study received the following funding: Guangzhou Health Science and Technology Project (20201A011078), Guangzhou Science and Technology Project (202102010094), Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2021A1515012550), Clinical research project of Guangzhou Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital (2021-LCYJ-05), Guangdong Medical Research Fund (A2022255) and Key Clinical Specialty of Guangzhou Medical University (0F03031), Guangzhou Laboratory (EKPG21-30-3), Provincial key laboratory of immune regulation and immunotherapy (2022B1212010009), and Guangzhou key discipline of urology.