Humoral Response after Two Doses of BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine Has a Role in Predicting Response after Three Doses That Is Related to Plasma HIV Viremia and Nadir CD4+ Cell Count in HIV-Positive Patients
Monica Basso,
Nicole Pirola,
Susanna Pascoli,
Beatrice Bragato,
Antonio Vinci,
Marco Iannetta,
Francesco Colombo,
Nicholas Geremia,
Luca Martignago,
Maria Cristina Rossi,
Ludovica Cipriani,
Mario Giobbia,
Pier Giorgio Scotton,
Saverio Giuseppe Parisi
Affiliations
Monica Basso
Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Via Gabelli, 63, 35100 Padova, Italy
Nicole Pirola
Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Via Gabelli, 63, 35100 Padova, Italy
Susanna Pascoli
Microbiology Unit, Department of Specialist and Laboratory Medicine, Ca’ Foncello University Hospital, 31100 Treviso, Italy
Beatrice Bragato
Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Via Gabelli, 63, 35100 Padova, Italy
Antonio Vinci
Hospital Health Management Area, Local Health Authority “Roma 1”, Borgo Santo Spirito 3, 00193 Roma, Italy
Marco Iannetta
Infectious Disease Unit, Department of System Medicine, Tor Vergata University and Hospital, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Francesco Colombo
Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Via Gabelli, 63, 35100 Padova, Italy
Nicholas Geremia
Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical Medicine, Ospedale dell’Angelo, Via Paccagnella, 11, 30174 Venice, Italy
Luca Martignago
Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Via Gabelli, 63, 35100 Padova, Italy
Maria Cristina Rossi
Infectious Diseases Unit, Treviso Hospital, Via Antonio Scarpa, 2, 31100 Treviso, Italy
Ludovica Cipriani
Infectious Diseases Unit, Treviso Hospital, Via Antonio Scarpa, 2, 31100 Treviso, Italy
Mario Giobbia
Infectious Diseases Unit, Treviso Hospital, Via Antonio Scarpa, 2, 31100 Treviso, Italy
Pier Giorgio Scotton
Infectious Diseases Unit, Treviso Hospital, Via Antonio Scarpa, 2, 31100 Treviso, Italy
Saverio Giuseppe Parisi
Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Via Gabelli, 63, 35100 Padova, Italy
We investigated the spike IgG levels of HIV+ patients on antiretroviral therapy six months after they received their second dose (T2) and six months after the third dose (T3) of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, as well as the influence of different levels of plasma HIV viremia of overall CD4+ cell count and nadir value on the humoral time course. One hundred eighty-four patients were enrolled. The median age was 55 years, the median CD4+ cell count was 639 cells/mm3 and the median nadir value was 258 cells/mm3. On the basis of all tests performed during the study period, persistently undetectable plasma HIV RNA (PUD) was found in 66 patients, low-level viremia (LLV) in 57 and ongoing viremia (OV) in 61. Serum levels of IgG antibodies against a trimeric S-protein antigen were tested with DiaSorin Liaison SARS-CoV-2 TrimericS IgG and the response was classified as optimal (>75th percentile), intermediate (50th–25th percentile) and low (3 had 100% sensitivity in predicting a non-optimal response. In conclusion, we demonstrated the persistence of anti-spike IgG, with high serum levels occurring in most patients six months after the third dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine and a predictive role of humoral response at T2 in subjects with detectable plasma HIV viremia. Immunological alterations related to past immunodeficiency may persist despite immune reconstitution, and the nadir value could be a useful tool for elaborating personalized vaccine schedules.
