Factors Associated with Neutralizing Antibody Responses following 2-Dose and 3rd Booster Monovalent COVID-19 Vaccination in Japanese People Living with HIV
Isaac Ngare,
Toong Seng Tan,
Mako Toyoda,
Takeo Kuwata,
Soichiro Takahama,
Eriko Nakashima,
Naoya Yamasaki,
Chihiro Motozono,
Teruhisa Fujii,
Rumi Minami,
Godfrey Barabona,
Takamasa Ueno
Affiliations
Isaac Ngare
Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
Toong Seng Tan
Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
Mako Toyoda
Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
Takeo Kuwata
Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
Soichiro Takahama
NHO, Kyushu Medical Center, 1-8-1 Jigyohama, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-8563, Japan
Eriko Nakashima
NHO, Kyushu Medical Center, 1-8-1 Jigyohama, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-8563, Japan
Naoya Yamasaki
Division of Transfusion Medicine, Hiroshima University Hospital, 1-2-3, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
Chihiro Motozono
Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
Teruhisa Fujii
Division of Transfusion Medicine, Hiroshima University Hospital, 1-2-3, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
Rumi Minami
NHO, Kyushu Medical Center, 1-8-1 Jigyohama, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-8563, Japan
Godfrey Barabona
Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
Takamasa Ueno
Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
People living with HIV (PLWH) could be at risk of blunted immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination. We investigated factors associated with neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses against SARS-CoV-2 and variants of concern (VOCs), following two-dose and third booster monovalent COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in Japanese PLWH. NAb titers were assessed in polyclonal IgG fractions by lentiviral-based pseudovirus assays. Overall, NAb titers against Wuhan, following two-dose vaccination, were assessed in 82 PLWH on treatment, whereby 17/82 (20.73%) were classified as low-NAb participants. Within the low-NAb participants, the third booster vaccination enhanced NAb titers against Wuhan and VOCs, albeit to a significantly lower magnitude than the rest. In the multivariate analysis, NAb titers against Wuhan after two-dose vaccination correlated with age and days since vaccination, but not with CD4+ count, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, and plasma high-sensitivity C-Reactive protein (hsCRP). Interestingly, an extended analysis within age subgroups revealed NAb titers to correlate positively with the CD4+ count and negatively with plasma hsCRP in younger, but not older, participants. In conclusion, a third booster vaccination substantially enhances NAb titers, but the benefit may be suboptimal in subpopulations of PLWH exhibiting low titers at baseline. Considering clinical and immune parameters could provide a nuanced understanding of factors associated with vaccine responses in PLWH.
