Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccination in People Living with HIV: A Public Health Fundamental Tool for the Protection of Patients and the Correct Management of Infection

Alessio Facciolà; Smeralda D’Amato; Sebastiano Calimeri; Daniela Lo Giudice; Cristina Micali; Ylenia Russotto; Emmanuele Venanzi Rullo; Giuseppe Nunnari; Raffaele Squeri; Giovanni Francesco Pellicanò

doi:10.3390/idr14050080

Infectious Disease Reports (Oct 2022)

Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccination in People Living with HIV: A Public Health Fundamental Tool for the Protection of Patients and the Correct Management of Infection

Alessio Facciolà,
Smeralda D’Amato,
Sebastiano Calimeri,
Daniela Lo Giudice,
Cristina Micali,
Ylenia Russotto,
Emmanuele Venanzi Rullo,
Giuseppe Nunnari,
Raffaele Squeri,
Giovanni Francesco Pellicanò

Affiliations

Alessio Facciolà: Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
Smeralda D’Amato: Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
Sebastiano Calimeri: Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
Daniela Lo Giudice: Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
Cristina Micali: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
Ylenia Russotto: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
Emmanuele Venanzi Rullo: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
Giuseppe Nunnari: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
Raffaele Squeri: Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
Giovanni Francesco Pellicanò: Department of Human Pathology of the Adult and the Developmental Age “G. Barresi”, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/idr14050080
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14, no. 5
pp. 784 – 793

Abstract

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HIV/AIDS is considered a risk factor for increased mortality due to COVID-19. For this reason, it is essential to include this population in vaccination campaigns. Studies found that antibodies are lower in HIV+ patients than in healthy individuals. The aim of this study was to assess the immune response in a cohort of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccination in order to evaluate the role played by the HIV infection in the efficacy of this vaccine. We carried out a cross-sectional study in the period April-September 2021, involving a cohort of PLWH and a cohort of HIV-uninfected people as the control group. The efficacy of vaccination was high in both groups despite a slight and not significant difference between them. However, important differences were found according to the intensity of the immune response. Specifically, while in the HIV+ group almost a quarter of people had a low response, it is important to remark that the control group had only a high or intermediate response after vaccination. Our results suggest the high efficacy of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in PLWH and the importance to vaccinate against COVID-19 in these patients in order to increase their protection.

Published in Infectious Disease Reports

ISSN: 2036-7430 (Print); 2036-7449 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine: Other systems of medicine
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/idr

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