Kidney transplant recipients vaccinated before transplantation maintain superior humoral response to SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine. Issue 12 (29th September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Grupper, Ayelet; Katchman, Eugene; Ben‐Yehoyada, Merav; Rabinowich, Liane; Schwartz, Doron; Schwartz, Idit F.; Shashar, Moshe; Halperin, Tami; Turner, Dan; Goykhman, Yaacov; Shibolet, Oren; Levy, Sharon; Houri, Inbal; Baruch, Roni; Katchman, Helena
• Is Part Of: Clinical transplantation. Volume 35:Issue 12(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-09-29
• Subjects: COVID‐19 -- Kidney transplantation -- SARS‐CoV‐2 -- vaccine; Transplantation of organs, tissues, etc -- Periodicals; 617.95
• DOI: 10.1111/ctr.14478
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0902-0063

Abstract

Abstract: Majority of transplant recipients did not develop an appreciable humoral response following SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine, in contrast to dialysis patients and healthy individuals. We analyzed the serologic response to BNT162b2 (Pfizer‐BioNTech) vaccine in a cohort of 19 kidney transplant recipients, vaccinated prior to transplantation, compare to 109 recipients vaccinated after transplantation, and to 39 healthcare workers, by determining the level of anti‐spike antibodies after transplantation. All controls and 17 of 19 (90%) of recipients vaccinated before transplant were seropositive, while only 49 of 109 (45%) recipients vaccinated post‐transplant had positive serology ( P < .001). Median anti‐spike IgG in the group of kidney transplant recipients vaccinated after transplantation (10.7 AU/ml, [IQR 0–62.5]) was lower than the patients vaccinated before transplantation (66.2 AU/ml [21.6–138]), which was significantly lower than in the controls (156 AU/ml [99.7–215.5]). Negative humoral response was associated with vaccination post transplantation (odds ratio 22.4), older age (OR = 1.04), and longer time on dialysis (OR = 1.02), while higher lymphocyte count at time of vaccination was protective (OR = .52). Our findings of sustained superior humoral response to SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine in kidney transplant recipients vaccinated prior to transplantation strongly support the recommendations of SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination of transplant candidates, especially those younger than 60 years.