Third BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Dose Significantly Enhances Immunogenicity in Recipients of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.
Israel HenigJonathan IsenbergDana Yehudai-OfirRonit LeibaShimrit Ringelstein-HarlevRon RamBatia AvniOdelia AmitSigal GrisariuTehila AzoulayIlana SlouzkeyTsila ZukermanPublished in: Vaccines (2023)
COVID-19-related mortality among hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients in the pre-vaccine era ranged between 22 and 33%. The Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine demonstrated significant immunogenicity and efficacy in the healthy population; however, its long-term effects on allogeneic HSCT recipients remained unclear. Our study longitudinally evaluated humoral and cellular responses to the BNT162b2 vaccine in adult allogeneic HSCT patients. A positive response was defined as antibody titers ≥ 150 AU/mL post-second vaccination. Among 77 included patients, 51 (66.2%) responded to vaccination. Response-associated factors were female gender, recent anti-CD20 therapy, and a longer interval between transplant and vaccination. Response rates reached 83.7% in patients vaccinated >12 months post-transplant. At 6 months post-second vaccination, antibody titers dropped, but were significantly increased with the booster dose. Moreover, 43% (6/14) of non-responders to the second vaccination acquired sufficient antibody titers after booster administration, resulting in an overall response rate of 79.5% for the entire cohort. The BNT162b2 vaccine was effective in allogeneic transplant recipients. Although antibody titers decreased with time, the third vaccination led to their significant elevation, with 93% of third-dose responders maintaining titers above 150 AU/mL at 3 months post-administration.
Keyphrases
- end stage renal disease
- sars cov
- ejection fraction
- stem cell transplantation
- allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
- newly diagnosed
- chronic kidney disease
- prognostic factors
- hematopoietic stem cell
- acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- acute myeloid leukemia
- stem cells
- immune response
- coronavirus disease
- peritoneal dialysis
- young adults
- gold nanoparticles
- low dose
- smoking cessation