PhD student Department of Immunology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Motol University Hospital Prague, Hlavni mesto Praha, Czech Republic
Abstract Text: Background and objectives Vaccination provides relatively short-term protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), suggesting the need for booster doses. Immunocompromised individuals with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) may have a markedly weakened immune response. Therefore, we investigated the persistence of the immune response, both humoral and T cell responses, after primary vaccination and the immunogenicity and safety after booster vaccination with BNT162b2.
Methods This prospective observational study included a cohort of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) treated with Biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, specifically IL-17 and TNFα inhibitors. SARS-CoV-2-specific serum antibodies and virus-neutralizing antibodies, T-cell immune responses, and safety were evaluated.
Result Fifteen male patients with AxSpA treated with TNFα inhibitors (73.3%) or IL-17 (26.7%) were included. After booster vaccination, the humoral response increased from 905.6 (± 186.1 SD) using Immunoblot assay and 409.1 (± 335.7) U/ml using ELISA to 989.7 (± 12.62) and 1000 U/ml, respectively. The T-cell response analyzed by specific production of IFNgamma and TNFα increased from 53.3% to 80%, with no differences between the AxSpA and healthy control cohorts. No serious AEs occurred; The AE spectrum was comparable to the general population.
Conclusions Persistence of the immune response after primary vaccination and immunogenicity after booster vaccination were not affected by anti-IL17 or anti-TNFα therapy with similar AEs as in the general population.
