Abstract
Introduction: Since the pandemic of COVID-19 started from December 2019, remarkable numbers of infections and deaths associated with COVID-19 have been recorded worldwide. End-stage kidney disease patients on dialysis are particularly at high risk of infections due to impairments in the innate and adaptive immune systems. Vaccination on dialysis patients (DP) still remains challenging because of the variable response and a low seroconversion rate compared with healthy participants (HP). Therefore, it is urgently necessary to establish a different vaccination strategy for DP, in terms of the dose and administration time.
Methods: Here, we report an observational prospective cohort study in which the immunogenic efficacies of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BNT162b2 on DP and HP were evaluated by absolute quantification of IgG levels in the blood.
Results: DP showed a delayed seroconversion after two vaccine doses, with a low absolute IgG levels compared to HP. While HP reached complete seroconversion within 10 days from the administration of a second dose, only 76% of DP were seropositive. After the booster dose, DP had a strongly improved seroconversion rate as well as antibody levels, reaching 97% seropositivity and 50 times enhancement on antibody levels.
Discussion/conclusion: These results prompt to suggest an additional vaccine dose in DP, reducing the interval of time from the second dose. Since limited data are available on immune response in DP overtime after three vaccine doses currently, our study is among the first reports demonstrating the improved seropositivity and IgG levels in DP after the booster vaccine dose.
Keywords: Booster; Dialysis; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Vaccination.
【저자키워드】 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, vaccination, dialysis, booster, 【초록키워드】 Efficacy, coronavirus, immune response, vaccine doses, adaptive, antibody, Infection, prospective cohort study, SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, vaccine dose, BNT162b2, Seroconversion, Patient, death, Kidney disease, quantification, booster dose, seropositive, Blood, Booster vaccine, administration, dose, Vaccination strategy, high risk, acute respiratory syndrome, second dose, participant, immunogenic, seroconversion rate, impairment, immune systems, while, pandemic of COVID-19, Complete, healthy, evaluated, reducing, reached, recorded, IgG level, low seroconversion rate, with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, response, South,