Cluster Analysis Identifies Distinct Patterns of T-Cell and Humoral Immune Responses Evolution Following a Third Dose of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in People Living with HIV
Majdouline El Moussaoui,
Salomé Desmecht,
Nicolas Lambert,
Nathalie Maes,
Joachim Braghini,
Nicole Marechal,
Céline Quintana,
Karine Briquet,
Stéphanie Gofflot,
Françoise Toussaint,
Marie-Pierre Hayette,
Pieter Vermeersch,
Laurence Lutteri,
Céline Grégoire,
Yves Beguin,
Souad Rahmouni,
Michel Moutschen,
Daniel Desmecht,
Gilles Darcis
Affiliations
Majdouline El Moussaoui
Department of Infectious Diseases and General Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Salomé Desmecht
Laboratory of Animal Genomics, GIGA-Medical Genomics, GIGA-Institute, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Nicolas Lambert
Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Nathalie Maes
Biostatistics and Research Method Center (B-STAT), University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Joachim Braghini
Department of Infectious Diseases and General Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Nicole Marechal
Department of Infectious Diseases and General Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Céline Quintana
Department of Infectious Diseases and General Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Karine Briquet
Department of Infectious Diseases and General Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Stéphanie Gofflot
Department of Biothèque Hospitalo-Universitaire de Liège (BHUL), University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Françoise Toussaint
Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Marie-Pierre Hayette
Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Pieter Vermeersch
Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Laurence Lutteri
Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Céline Grégoire
Department of Haematology, University Hospital of Liège, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Yves Beguin
Department of Biothèque Hospitalo-Universitaire de Liège (BHUL), University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Souad Rahmouni
Laboratory of Animal Genomics, GIGA-Medical Genomics, GIGA-Institute, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Michel Moutschen
Department of Infectious Diseases and General Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Daniel Desmecht
Department of Animal Pathology, Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Gilles Darcis
Department of Infectious Diseases and General Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
(1) Background: Many vaccines require higher, additional doses or adjuvants to provide adequate protection for people living with HIV (PLWH). Despite their potential risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019, immunological data remain sparse, and a clear consensus for the best booster strategy is lacking. (2) Methods: Using the data obtained from our previous study assessing prospective T-cell and humoral immune responses before and after administration of a third dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, we assessed the correlations between immune parameters reflecting humoral and cellular immune responses. We further aimed at identifying distinct clusters of patients with similar patterns of immune response evolution to determine how these relate to demographic and clinical factors. (3) Results: Among 80 PLWH and 51 healthcare workers (HCWs) enrolled in the study, cluster analysis identified four distinct patterns of evolution characterised by specific immune patterns and clinical factors. We observed that immune responses appeared to be less robust in cluster A, whose individuals were mostly PLWH who had never been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Cluster C, whose individuals showed a particularly drastic increase in markers of humoral immune response following the third dose of vaccine, was mainly composed of female participants who experienced SARS-CoV-2. Regarding the correlation study, although we observed a strong positive correlation between markers mirroring humoral immune response, markers of T-cell response following vaccination correlated only in a lesser extent with markers of humoral immunity. This suggests that neutralising antibody titers alone are not always a reliable reflection of the magnitude of the whole immune response. (4) Conclusions: Our findings show heterogeneity in immune responses among SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated PLWH. Specific subgroups could therefore benefit from distinct immunization strategies. Prior or breakthrough natural infection enhances the activity of vaccines and must be taken into account for informing global vaccine strategies among PLWH, even those with a viro-immunologically controlled infection.