Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clinical Infectiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Tobias Nowacki
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clinical Infectiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Richard Vollenberg
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clinical Infectiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Jörn Arne Meier
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clinical Infectiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Florian Rennebaum
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clinical Infectiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Tina Schomacher
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clinical Infectiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Jonel Trebicka
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clinical Infectiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Julia Fischer
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clinical Infectiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Eva U. Lorentzen
Institute of Virology, University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Phil-Robin Tepasse
Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Clinical Infectiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
In the spring of 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic presented a formidable challenge to national and global healthcare systems. Immunocompromised individuals or those with relevant pre-existing conditions were particularly at risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Thus, understanding the immunological processes in these patient groups is crucial for current research. This study aimed to investigate humoral immunity following vaccination and infection in liver transplant recipients. Humoral immunity analysis involved measuring IgG against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (anti-S IgG) and employing a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) for assessing the hACE2 receptor-binding inhibitory capacity of antibodies. The study revealed that humoral immunity post-vaccination is well established, with positive results for anti-S IgG in 92.9% of the total study cohort. Vaccinated and SARS-CoV-2-infected patients exhibited significantly higher anti-S IgG levels compared to vaccinated, non-infected patients (18,590 AU/mL vs. 2320 AU/mL, p cPassTMTM sVNT (96.4% vs. 91.8%, p = 0.004). Furthermore, a substantial enhancement of anti-S IgG levels (p = 0.034) and receptor-binding inhibition capacity (p < 0.001) was observed with an increasing interval post-transplantation (up to 30 years), calculated by generalized linear model analysis. In summary, fully vaccinated liver transplant recipients exhibit robust humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2, which significantly intensifies following infection and with increasing time after transplantation. These findings should be considered for booster vaccination schemes for liver transplant recipients.
