CoronaVac-vaccinated kidney transplant recipients with hybrid immunity have strong neutralizing responses against Omicron and Mu variants of SARS-CoV-2.

ABSTRACT

Neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants after inactivated virus vaccine (CoronaVac) in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) with or without SARS-CoV-2 infection history remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the neutralizing antibody responses against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants after two doses of CoronaVac in these patients. 22.2% of participants had hybrid immunity. Anti-spike IgG antibodies were evidenced in 44% of the patients. nAbs against B.1.111, Mu, and Omicron were detected in 28.5%, 17.9%, and 21.4% of naïve KTRs, respectively. Furthermore, nearly 100% of KTRs with hybrid immunity had nAbs against the variants evaluated. Thus, a significant proportion of infection-naïve KTRs had no detectable nAb titers against Mu and Omicron variants after two doses of the CoronaVac vaccine. However, the nAb titers were significantly higher in patients with hybrid immunity, and it was no association between the immunosuppressive regimen and the seropositivity rate of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. Therefore, hybrid KTRs are protected against COVID-19 by emerging variants able to escape from vaccine-elicited nAbs such as Mu and Omicron.