Humoral and cellular immune responses eleven months after the third dose of BNT162b2 an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine in people with HIV – a prospective observational cohort studyResearch in context
Line Dam Heftdal,
Laura Pérez-Alós,
Rasmus Bo Hasselbalch,
Cecilie Bo Hansen,
Sebastian Rask Hamm,
Dina Leth Møller,
Mia Pries-Heje,
Kamille Fogh,
Jan Gerstoft,
Kirsten Grønbæk,
Sisse Rye Ostrowski,
Ruth Frikke-Schmidt,
Erik Sørensen,
Linda Hilsted,
Henning Bundgaard,
Peter Garred,
Kasper Iversen,
Caroline Sabin,
Susanne Dam Nielsen
Affiliations
Line Dam Heftdal
Viro-Immunology Research Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, Section 8632, University of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark; Department of Haematology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark; Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaloeesvej 5, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
Laura Pérez-Alós
Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Department of Clinical Immunology, Section 7631, Rigshospitalet, Ole Maaloeesvej 26, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
Rasmus Bo Hasselbalch
Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Borgmester Ib Juuls Vej 11, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; Department of Emergency Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Borgmester Ib Juuls Vej 11, 2730 Herlev, Denmark
Cecilie Bo Hansen
Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Department of Clinical Immunology, Section 7631, Rigshospitalet, Ole Maaloeesvej 26, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
Sebastian Rask Hamm
Viro-Immunology Research Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, Section 8632, University of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark
Dina Leth Møller
Viro-Immunology Research Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, Section 8632, University of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark
Mia Pries-Heje
Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark
Kamille Fogh
Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Borgmester Ib Juuls Vej 11, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; Department of Emergency Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Borgmester Ib Juuls Vej 11, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
Jan Gerstoft
Viro-Immunology Research Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, Section 8632, University of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
Kirsten Grønbæk
Department of Haematology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark; Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaloeesvej 5, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
Sisse Rye Ostrowski
Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark; Department of Clinical Immunology, Section 2034, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark
Ruth Frikke-Schmidt
Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark; Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark
Erik Sørensen
Department of Clinical Immunology, Section 2034, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark
Linda Hilsted
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark
Henning Bundgaard
Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
Peter Garred
Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Department of Clinical Immunology, Section 7631, Rigshospitalet, Ole Maaloeesvej 26, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
Kasper Iversen
Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Borgmester Ib Juuls Vej 11, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; Department of Emergency Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Borgmester Ib Juuls Vej 11, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
Caroline Sabin
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections at UCL, Royal Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London NW3 2PF, United Kingdom; Centre for Clinical Research, Epidemiology, Modelling and Evaluation, Institute for Global Health, UCL, Royal Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London NW3 2PF, United Kingdom
Susanne Dam Nielsen
Viro-Immunology Research Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, Section 8632, University of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark; Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Transplantation, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark; Corresponding author. Department of Infectious Diseases, Section 8632, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Oe, Denmark.
Summary: Background: We investigated long-term durability of humoral and cellular immune responses to third dose of BNT162b2 in people with HIV (PWH) and controls. Methods: In 378 PWH with undetectable viral replication and 224 matched controls vaccinated with three doses of BNT162b2, we measured IgG-antibodies against the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein three months before third dose of BNT162b2, and four and eleven months after. In 178 PWH and 135 controls, the cellular response was assessed by interferon-γ (IFN-γ) release in whole blood four months after third dose. Differences in antibody or IFN-γ concentrations were assessed by uni- and multivariable linear regressions. Findings: Before the third dose the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was lower in PWH than in controls (unadjusted geometric mean ratio (GMR): 0.68 (95% CI: 0.54–0.86, p = 0.002). We observed no differences in antibody concentrations between PWH and controls after four (0.90 (95% CI: 0.75–1.09), p = 0.285) or eleven months (0.89 (95% CI: 0.69–1.14), p = 0.346) after the third dose. We found no difference in IFN-γ concentrations four months after the third dose between PWH and controls (1.06 (95% CI: 0.71–1.60), p = 0.767). Interpretation: We found no differences in antibody concentrations or cellular response between PWH and controls up to eleven months after third dose of BNT162b2. Our findings indicate that PWH with undetectable viral replication and controls have comparable immune responses to three doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine. Funding: This work was funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NFF205A0063505, NNF20SA0064201), the Carlsberg Foundation (CF20-476 0045), the Svend Andersen Research Foundation (SARF2021), and Bio- and Genome Bank Denmark.
