Humoral Immune Response in IBD Patients Three and Six Months after Vaccination with the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccines mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2
Richard Vollenberg,
Phil-Robin Tepasse,
Joachim Ewald Kühn,
Marc Hennies,
Markus Strauss,
Florian Rennebaum,
Tina Schomacher,
Göran Boeckel,
Eva Lorentzen,
Arne Bokemeyer,
Tobias Max Nowacki
Affiliations
Richard Vollenberg
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clincial Infectiology University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Phil-Robin Tepasse
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clincial Infectiology University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Joachim Ewald Kühn
Institute of Virology, University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Marc Hennies
Institute of Virology, University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Markus Strauss
Department of Medicine C, Cardiology, University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Florian Rennebaum
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clincial Infectiology University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Tina Schomacher
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clincial Infectiology University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Göran Boeckel
Department of Medicine D, Division of General Internal and Emergency Medicine, Nephrology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Eva Lorentzen
Institute of Virology, University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Arne Bokemeyer
Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Transplant Medicine, University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
Tobias Max Nowacki
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clincial Infectiology University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronovirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Vaccination is considered the core approach to containing the pandemic. There is currently insufficient evidence on the efficacy of these vaccines in immunosuppressed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the humoral response in immunosuppressed IBD patients after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. In this prospective study, IgG antibody levels (AB) against the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (spike-protein) were quantitatively determined. For assessing the potential neutralizing capacity, a SARS-CoV-2 surrogate neutralization test (sVNT) was employed in IBD patients (n = 95) and healthy controls (n = 38). Sera were examined prior to the first/second vaccination and 3/6 months after second vaccination. Patients showed lower sVNT (%) and IgG-S (AU/mL) AB both before the second vaccination (sVNT p p p = 0.002; AB p = 0.001) and 6 months (sVNT p = 0.062; AB p = 0.061) after the second vaccination. Although seroconversion rates (sVNT, IgG-S) did not differ between the two groups 3 months after second vaccination, a significant difference was seen 6 months after second vaccination (sVNT p = 0.045). Before and three months after the second vaccination, patients treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents showed significantly lower AB than healthy subjects. In conclusion, an early booster shot vaccination should be discussed for IBD patients on anti-TNF therapy.
