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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is a result of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Vaccination against COVID-19 is crucial for preventing severe illness and controlling the pandemic. This study aimed to examine how immunosuppressed patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) responded to the third mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. The patients were undergoing treatments such as anti-TNF (infliximab, adalimumab), anti-α4ß7 integrin (vedolizumab), anti-IL12/23 (ustekinumab) and azathioprine (purine analog). Their responses were compared to those of healthy individuals. Methods: In this prospective study, 81 IBD patients and 15 healthy controls were enrolled 2–4 months after receiving the third mRNA vaccination. This study measured IgG antibody levels against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein’s receptor binding domain (RBD) and assessed potential neutralization capacity using a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT). Results: Overall, immunosuppressed IBD patients (without SARS-CoV-2 infection) exhibited significantly lower levels of anti-S-IgG (anti-RBD-IgG) and binding inhibition in the sVNT after the third vaccination compared to healthy controls. Patients under anti-TNF therapy showed notably reduced anti-S-IgG levels after the booster vaccination, in contrast to those receiving ustekinumab and azathioprine (p = 0.030, p = 0.031). IBD patients on anti-TNF therapy demonstrated significantly increased anti-S-IgG levels following prior SARS-CoV-2 infection (p = 0.020). Conclusion: Even after the third vaccination, immunosuppressed IBD patients exhibited diminished humoral immunity compared to healthy controls, especially those on anti-TNF therapy. Cases of penetrating infections led to considerably higher antibody levels in IBD patients under anti-TNF therapy compared to uninfected patients. Further investigation through prospective studies in immunosuppressed IBD patients is needed to determine whether this effectively safeguards against future infections or severe disease.

Details

Title
Humoral Immunity in Immunosuppressed IBD Patients after the Third SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination: A Comparison with Healthy Control Subjects
Author
Vollenberg, Richard 1 ; Lorentzen, Eva Ulla 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Kühn, Joachim 2 ; Nowacki, Tobias Max 3 ; Meier, Jörn Arne 1 ; Trebicka, Jonel 1 ; Phil-Robin Tepasse 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clincial Infectiology, University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany; [email protected] (J.T.); [email protected] (P.-R.T.) 
 Institute of Virology, University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany[email protected] (J.K.) 
 Department of Medicine, Gastroenterology, Marienhospital Steinfurt, 48565 Steinfurt, Germany 
First page
1411
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
2076393X
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2869643368
Copyright
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.