People with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) were considered to be clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 and were therefore given priority in the vaccination campaign. Vaccines induced a humoral response in these patients that was comparable to the response observed among the general population. However, the role of the cell-mediated immune response in providing long-term protection against SARS-CoV-2 in pwCF has not yet been defined. In this study, humoral (antibody titre) and cell-mediated immune responses (interferon-γ release) to the BNT162b2 vaccine were measured at different time points, from around 6–8 months after the 2nd dose and up to 8 months after the 3rd dose, in 118 CF patients and 26 non-CF subjects. Subjects were sampled between November 2021 and September 2022 and followed-up for breakthrough infection through October 2022. pwCF mounted a cell-mediated response that was similar to that observed in non-CF subjects. Low antibody titres (<1st quartile) were associated with a higher risk of breakthrough infection (HR: 2.39, 95 % CI: 1.17–4.88), while there was no significant association with low INF-γ levels (<0.3 IU/mL) (HR: 1.38, 95 % CI: 0.64–2.99). Further studies are needed in subgroup of pwCF receiving immunosuppressive therapy, such as organ transplant recipients. This data is important for tailoring vaccination strategies for this clinically vulnerable population.
Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to BNT162b2 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in people with cystic fibrosis
Badolato R.;Blasi F.;
2023-01-01
Abstract
People with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) were considered to be clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 and were therefore given priority in the vaccination campaign. Vaccines induced a humoral response in these patients that was comparable to the response observed among the general population. However, the role of the cell-mediated immune response in providing long-term protection against SARS-CoV-2 in pwCF has not yet been defined. In this study, humoral (antibody titre) and cell-mediated immune responses (interferon-γ release) to the BNT162b2 vaccine were measured at different time points, from around 6–8 months after the 2nd dose and up to 8 months after the 3rd dose, in 118 CF patients and 26 non-CF subjects. Subjects were sampled between November 2021 and September 2022 and followed-up for breakthrough infection through October 2022. pwCF mounted a cell-mediated response that was similar to that observed in non-CF subjects. Low antibody titres (<1st quartile) were associated with a higher risk of breakthrough infection (HR: 2.39, 95 % CI: 1.17–4.88), while there was no significant association with low INF-γ levels (<0.3 IU/mL) (HR: 1.38, 95 % CI: 0.64–2.99). Further studies are needed in subgroup of pwCF receiving immunosuppressive therapy, such as organ transplant recipients. This data is important for tailoring vaccination strategies for this clinically vulnerable population.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
