Immunogenicity of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine in frequent platelet donors.

Frequent plateletpheresis is associated with severe lymphopenia of uncertain clinical significance. We assessed the functional impact of frequent platelet donations and associated lymphopenia on the response to neoantigens. We conducted a prospective study of 102 platelet donors (HIV uninfected) who were naive to meningococcal vaccination recruited at Brigham and Women's Hospital. One dose of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine was administered. Seroresponse was defined as a fourfold increase of serum bactericidal antibody titers and seroprotection was defined as postvaccination titers of ≥1:8, for each of the 4 vaccine antigens (A, C, W, and Y). Mean age of participants was 61 years, 69% were male, and medial number of platelet donations in prior year was 14 (interquartile range, 4-20). Frequent platelet donors had a low CD4 count (14% with ≤200/µL and 34% with ≤350/µL). Seroresponse rates varied from 68% for serogroup Y to 86% for serogroup A and were higher for participants with baseline titers of <1:8. Postvaccination seroprotection rates varied from 76% for serogroup Y to 96% for serogroup A. After adjustments for age, sex, and frequent donations, lower total lymphocyte or lower CD4 counts were not associated with lower responses. These data suggest no impairment by plateletpheresis-associated lymphopenia on response to these neoantigens. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT04224311.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Messenger RNA Vaccines in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients: Immunogenicity and Reactogenicity.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 messenger RNA vaccine-induced humoral response and reactogenicity profile are described in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Findings showed that 75.0% (by Simoa assay) or 80.0% (by Roche assay) of the HSCT cohort had a positive antibody response on series completion, compared with 100% in the healthy cohort.

Laboratory diagnosis of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an uncommon acquired stem cell disorder associated with periodic hemolytic events. This benign clonal disease is caused by abnormalities of the X-linked phosphatidylinositol glycan class A (PIGA) gene and is associated with cytopenias and thrombosis. Although the trilineage of bone marrow elements is affected, involvement of the red blood cell (RBC) line was recognized first due to its abnormal sensitivity to complement-mediated intravascular hemolysis. Totally or partially deficient blood cell membrane proteins include decay accelerating factor (DAF, CD55), membrane inhibitor of reactive lysis (MIRL, CD59), and other proteins attached to the glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI) spine. Stem cell transplantation can be curative in PNH. Diverse laboratory abnormalities observed in PNH include bone marrow hyper- and hypoplasia, hematologic cytopenias, micro- and macrocytosis, decreased leukocyte alkaline phosphatase (LAP), hemoglobin- and hemosiderinuria, as well as associated iron deficiency. The more definitive laboratory tests comprise older biochemical and newer flow cytometric (FCM) procedures. The former group includes the sucrose hemolysis test for screening and Ham's acid hemolysis test for confirmation; the latter group includes FCM analyses of CD55 and CD59, which have recently replaced Ham's test, and FCM quantification of specific GPI-anchor binding using fluorescent-labeled inactive toxin aerolysin (FLAER). FLAER is more sensitive than FCM quantification of antibody-binding to CD59 for PNH diagnosis.