RESUMO
Compared with the general population, patients receiving maintenance dialysis are at increased risk for morbidity and mortality associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Currently, data on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific immunity post-vaccination in patients on maintenance dialysis are scarce given that the effectiveness of the vaccines has not been explicitly tested in this population due to their common exclusion from SARS-CoV-2 vaccination trials. We herein present data of the specific cellular (interferon-γ and interleukin-2 ELISpot assays) and humoral immune responses (dot plot array and chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay) at 4 weeks and 6 weeks following a single dose or a complete homologous dual dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine regimen in 60 adult patients on maintenance dialysis (six with a history of COVID-19). The data was produced in a framework of a project focused on a) quantifying the immune response after full vaccination, b) evaluating the short-term durability of immune response, and c) examining the reactogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine regimens in patients on maintenance dialysis.
RESUMO
Patients receiving maintenance dialysis (MD) are vulnerable to COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality. Currently, data on SARS-CoV-2-specific cellular and humoral immunity post-vaccination in this population are scarce. We conducted a prospective single-center study exploring the specific cellular (interferon-γ and interleukin-2 ELISpot assays) and humoral immune responses (dot plot array and chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay [CMIA]) at 4 weeks and 6 weeks following a single dose or a complete homologous dual dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine regimen in 60 MD patients (six with a history of COVID-19). Our results show that MD patients exhibit a high seroconversion rate (91.7%) but the anti-spike IgG antibodies (CMIA) tend to wane rapidly after full immunization. Only 51.7% of the patients developed T cell immune response. High anti-spike IgG antibodies may predict a better cellular immunity. While patients with prior COVID-19 showed the best response after one, SARS-CoV-2-naïve patients may benefit from a third vaccine injection.