Durability of Humoral Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2 in Citizens of Ariano Irpino (Campania, Italy): A Longitudinal Observational Study With an 11.5-Month Follow-Up

As of November 17, 2021, SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2), the causative agent of COVID-19 (COronaVIrus Disease 19), has infected ~250 million people worldwide, causing around five million deaths. Titers of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies were relatively stable for at least 9 months in a population-based study conducted in Wuhan, China, both in symptomatic and in asymptomatic individuals. In the mass screening campaign conducted in the town of Ariano Irpino (Avellino, Italy) in May, 2020, 5.7% (95% CI: 5.3-6-1) of the 13,444 asymptomatic citizens screened were positive for anti-nucleocapsid antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Among these, 422 citizens were re-tested for anti SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in January, 2021 and/or in April, 2021 and enrolled in this longitudinal observational study. Median (interquartile range) age of the study cohort was 46 years (29–59), with 47 (11.1%) participants of minor age, while 217 (51.4%) participants were females. There was no evidence of re-infection in any of the subjects included. Presence of anti-nuclear antibodies antibodies (Elecysis, Roche) was reported in 95.7 and 93.7% of evaluable participants in January and April, 2021. Multiple logistic regression analysis used to explore associations between age, sex and seroprevalence showed that adults vs. minors had significantly lower odds of having anti-S1 antibodies (Biorad) both in January, 2021 and in April, 2021. Our findings showed that antibodies remained detectable at least 11.5 months after infection in >90% of never symptomatic cases. Further investigation is required to establish duration of immunity against SARS-CoV-2.

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The effect of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on consultation numbers, consultation reasons and performed services in primary care: results of a longitudinal observational study

BMC Family Practice ◽

10.1186/s12875-021-01471-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ingmar Schäfer ◽

Heike Hansen ◽

Agata Menzel ◽

Marion Eisele ◽

Daniel Tajdar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Observational Study ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Longitudinal Observational Study ◽

Multivariable Analyses ◽

Gastrointestinal Complaints ◽

Urban And Rural Areas ◽

Quota Sampling ◽

Primary Care Practices

Abstract Objectives The aims of our study were to describe the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on primary care in Germany regarding the number of consultations, the prevalence of specific reasons for consultation presented by the patients, and the frequency of specific services performed by the GP. Methods We conducted a longitudinal observational study based on standardised GP interviews in a quota sampling design comparing the time before the COVID-19 pandemic (12 June 2015 to 27 April 2017) with the time during lockdown (21 April to 14 July 2020). The sample included GPs in urban and rural areas 120 km around Hamburg, Germany, and was stratified by region type and administrative districts. Differences in the consultation numbers were analysed by multivariate linear regressions in mixed models adjusted for random effects on the levels of the administrative districts and GP practices. Results One hundred ten GPs participated in the follow-up, corresponding to 52.1% of the baseline. Primary care practices in 32 of the 37 selected administrative districts (86.5%) could be represented in both assessments. At baseline, GPs reported 199.6 ± 96.9 consultations per week, which was significantly reduced during COVID-19 lockdown by 49.0% to 101.8 ± 67.6 consultations per week (p < 0.001). During lockdown, the frequency of five reasons for consultation (-43.0% to -31.5%) and eleven services (-56.6% to -33.5%) had significantly decreased. The multilevel, multivariable analyses showed an average reduction of 94.6 consultations per week (p < 0.001). Conclusions We observed a dramatic reduction of the number of consultations in primary care. This effect was independent of age, sex and specialty of the GP and independent of the practice location in urban or rural areas. Consultations for complaints like low back pain, gastrointestinal complaints, vertigo or fatigue and services like house calls/calls at nursing homes, wound treatments, pain therapy or screening examinations for the early detection of chronic diseases were particularly affected.

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The vaccinia-based Sementis Copenhagen Vector COVID-19 vaccine induces broad and durable cellular and humoral immune responses

10.1101/2021.09.06.459206 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Preethi Eldi ◽

Tamara H Cooper ◽

Natalie A Prow ◽

Liang Liu ◽

Gary K Heinemann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Responses ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

First Generation ◽

Neutralizing Antibody ◽

Immune Memory ◽

Antibody Activity ◽

Post Vaccination ◽

Humoral Immune ◽

Humoral Immune Responses ◽

Heterologous Boost

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic perpetuated by SARS-CoV-2 variants, has highlighted the continued need for broadly protective vaccines that elicit robust and durable protection. Here, the vaccinia virus-based, replication-defective Sementis Copenhagen Vector (SCV) was used to develop a first-generation COVID-19 vaccine encoding the spike glycoprotein (SCV-S). Vaccination of mice rapidly induced polyfunctional CD8 T cells with cytotoxic activity and robust Th1-biased, spike-specific neutralizing antibodies, which are significantly increased following a second vaccination, and contained neutralizing activity against the alpha and beta variants of concern. Longitudinal studies indicated neutralizing antibody activity was maintained up to 9 months post-vaccination in both young and aging mice, with durable immune memory evident even in the presence of pre-existing vector immunity. This immunogenicity profile suggests a potential to expand protection generated by current vaccines in a heterologous boost format, and presents a solid basis for second-generation SCV-based COVID-19 vaccine candidates incorporating additional SARS-CoV-2 immunogens.

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Fast and long-lasting immune response to S-trimer COVID-19 vaccine adjuvanted by PIKA

Molecular Biomedicine ◽

10.1186/s43556-021-00054-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yuan Liu ◽

Lianpan Dai ◽

Xiaoli Feng ◽

Ran Gao ◽

Nan Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Vaccine Candidate ◽

Neutralizing Antibody ◽

Protein Vaccine ◽

Humoral Immune ◽

Humoral Immune Responses ◽

The Face ◽

Potential Vaccine ◽

High Level

AbstractIn the face of the emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2, there is an urgent need to develop a vaccine that can induce fast, effective, long-lasting and broad protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Here, we developed a trimeric SARS-CoV-2 S protein vaccine candidate adjuvanted by PIKA, which can induce robust cellular and humoral immune responses. The results showed a high level of neutralizing antibodies induced by the vaccine was maintained for at least 400 days. In the study of non-human primates, PIKA adjuvanted S-trimer induced high SARS-CoV-2 neutralization titers and protected from virus replication in the lung following SARS-CoV-2 challenge. In addition, the long-term neutralizing antibody response induced by S-trimer vaccine adjuvanted by PIKA could neutralize multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants and there is no obvious different among the SARS- CoV-2 variants of interest or concern, including B.1.351, B.1.1.7, P.1, B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 variants. These data support the utility of S-trimer protein adjuvanted by PIKA as a potential vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Discovery of Arthritis in Psoriasis Patients for Early Rheumatological Referral (DAPPER): Protocol for a Longitudinal Observational Study

JMIR Research Protocols ◽

10.2196/31647 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. e31647

Author(s):

Tamara W van Hal ◽

Juul MPA Van den Reek ◽

Hans MM Groenewoud ◽

Marcel C Pasch ◽

Frank HJ Van den Hoogen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Observational Study ◽

Validation Cohort ◽

Joint Damage ◽

Internal Validity ◽

Signs And Symptoms ◽

Outpatient Setting ◽

Prospective Data ◽

Longitudinal Observational Study

Background One in three patients with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA). If left untreated, this can lead to pain, impaired function, and irreversible joint damage. Timely recognition and referral to a rheumatologist are therefore key. However, current methods used to screen patients with psoriasis for those who might benefit from referral to a rheumatologist are not performing well enough. Objective The Discovery of Arthritis in Psoriasis Patients for Early Rheumatological Referral (DAPPER) study is designed to determine the prevalence of PsA in a psoriasis population and to find parameters that can be used to develop a new or enhance an existing instrument for a rheumatological referral. Methods DAPPER is a longitudinal observational study with a 1-year follow-up. Patients with psoriasis (N=300) who are treated at an outpatient dermatological clinic will be screened extensively for signs and symptoms of PsA by a trained rheumatologist. If there is clinical suspicion of PsA and the patient is not yet treated by a rheumatologist, referral to the Department of Rheumatology will follow for confirmation of the diagnosis and further care. After 1 year, data on changes in quality of life and PsA and psoriasis disease activity will be collected from the referred patients. The screening visit will be used to gather demographical and medical data, which can later be used to develop the aforementioned screening instrument. Results Inclusion started in June 2019 and finished in June 2021. Follow-up with newly discovered patients with PsA is ongoing. Conclusions The DAPPER study is specifically designed to improve the detection of existing PsA in a dermatologic outpatient setting. Although internal validity will be tested, external validity will have to be checked using a second validation cohort. To predict the development of PsA in the future, longitudinal/prospective data collection is required and will be performed in a follow-up study (DAPPER-i). Trial Registration Dutch Trial Register NTR7604; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/7397 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/31647

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Humoral protection to SARS-CoV2 declines faster in patients on TNF alpha blocking therapies

RMD Open ◽

10.1136/rmdopen-2021-002008 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. e002008

Author(s):

Ulf M Geisen ◽

Melike Sümbül ◽

Florian Tran ◽

Dennis K Berner ◽

Hayley M Reid ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cell ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Inflammatory Diseases ◽

Cd4 T Cell ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Humoral Immune ◽

Vaccine Responses ◽

Humoral Immune Responses ◽

Disease Modifying ◽

Humoral Responses

BackgroundThe persistence of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic, partly due to the appearance of highly infectious variants, has made booster vaccinations necessary for vulnerable groups. Questions remain as to which cohorts require SARS-CoV2 boosters. However, there is a critical lack of data on the dynamics of vaccine responses in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases (CID) undergoing immunosuppressive/disease modifying anti-rheumatic (DMARD) treatment. Here, we present the first data regarding the decline of the vaccine-induced humoral immune responses in patients with CID.Methods23 patients with CID were monitored clinically and for anti-spike IgG and IgA levels, neutralization efficacy and antigen-specific CD4+ T cell responses over the first 6 months after SARS-CoV2 vaccination. 24 healthy individuals were included as controls.ResultsWhile anti-spike IgG-levels declined in CID patients and healthy controls, patients receiving anti-TNF treatment showed significantly greater declines at 6 months post second vaccination in IgG and especially neutralizing antibodies. IgA levels were generally lower in CID patients, particularly during anti-TNF therapy. No differences in SARS-CoV2 spike-specific CD4+ T-cell frequencies were detected.ConclusionAlthough the long-term efficacy of SARS-CoV2 vaccination in CID patients undergoing disease-modifying therapy is still not known, the pronounced declines in humoral responses towards SARS-CoV2 6 months after mRNA vaccination in the context of TNF blockade should be considered when formulating booster regimens. These patients should be considered for early booster vaccinations.

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Subtle immunological differences in mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine induced Fc-functional profiles

10.1101/2021.08.31.458247 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Paulina Kaplonek ◽

Deniz Cizmeci ◽

Stephanie Fischinger ◽

Ai-ris Collier ◽

Todd Suscovich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Responses ◽

Specific Antibody ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Humoral Response ◽

Hospital Staff ◽

Differential Protection ◽

Humoral Immune ◽

Humoral Immune Responses ◽

Functional Antibodies ◽

Functional Profiles

The successful development of several COVID-19 vaccines has substantially reduced morbidity and mortality in regions of the world where the vaccines have been deployed. However, in the wake of the emergence of viral variants, able to evade vaccine induced neutralizing antibodies, real world vaccine efficacy has begun to show differences across the mRNA platforms, suggesting that subtle variation in immune responses induced by the BNT162b2 and mRNA1273 vaccines may provide differential protection. Given our emerging appreciation for the importance of additional antibody functions, beyond neutralization, here we profiled the post-boost binding and functional capacity of the humoral response induced by the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 in a cohort of hospital staff. Both vaccines induced robust humoral immune responses to WT SARS-CoV-2 and VOCs. However, differences emerged across epitope-specific responses, with higher RBD- and NTD- specific IgA, as well as functional antibodies (ADNP and ADNK) in mRNA-1273 vaccine recipients. Additionally, RBD-specific antibody depletion highlighted the different roles of non-RBD-specific antibody effector function induced across the mRNA vaccines, providing novel insights into potential differences in protective immunity generated across these vaccines in the setting of newly emerging VOCs.

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Overexpression of Interleukin-33 in Recombinant Rabies Virus Enhances Innate and Humoral Immune Responses through Activation of Dendritic Cell-Germinal Center Reactions

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines10010034 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 34

Author(s):

Zhizhong Mi ◽

Ling Zhao ◽

Ming Sun ◽

Ting Gao ◽

Yong Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Responses ◽

Rabies Virus ◽

Germinal Center ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Effective Vaccine ◽

Interleukin 33 ◽

Humoral Immune ◽

Humoral Immune Responses ◽

Long Acting ◽

High Level

Rabies is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by rabies virus (RABV), and its mortality rate is as high as 100%. Globally, an average of 60,000 people die from rabies each year. The most effective method to prevent and limit rabies is vaccination, but it is currently expensive and inefficient, consisting of a 3-dose series of injections and requiring to be immunized annually. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a single dose of long-acting rabies vaccine. In this study, recombinant rabies virus (rRABV) overexpressing interleukin-33 (IL-33) was constructed and designated as rLBNSE-IL33, and its effect was evaluated in a mouse model. The results showed that rLBNSE-IL33 could enhance the quick production of RABV-induced immune antibodies as early as three days post immunization (dpi) through the activation of dendritic cells (DCs), a component of the innate immune system. Furthermore, rLBNSE-IL33 induced high-level virus-neutralizing antibodies (VNA) production that persisted for 8 weeks by regulating the T cell-dependent germinal center (GC) reaction, thus resulting in better protection against rabies. Our data suggest the IL-33 is a novel adjuvant that could be used to enhance innate and humoral immune responses by activating the DC-GC reaction, and thus, rLBNSE-IL33 could be developed as a safe and effective vaccine for animals.

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A Single Dose SARS-CoV-2 Replicon RNA Vaccine Induces Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infected and Uninfected Pigtail Macaques

Frontiers in Immunology ◽

10.3389/fimmu.2021.800723 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Megan A. O’Connor ◽

Jesse H. Erasmus ◽

Samantha Randall ◽

Jacob Archer ◽

Thomas B. Lewis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Single Dose ◽

Antiretroviral Therapy ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Protein A ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Humoral Immune ◽

Humoral Immune Responses ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

Rna Vaccine ◽

Pigtail Macaques

The ongoing COVID-19 vaccine rollout is critical for reducing SARS-CoV-2 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths worldwide. Unfortunately, massive disparities exist in getting vaccines to vulnerable populations, including people living with HIV. Preliminary studies indicate that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are safe and immunogenic in people living with HIV that are virally suppressed with potent antiretroviral therapy but may be less efficacious in immunocompromised individuals. This raises the concern that COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective in resource poor settings with limited access to antiretroviral therapy. Here, we evaluated the immunogenicity of a single dose COVID-19 replicon RNA vaccine expressing Spike protein (A.1) from SARS-CoV-2 (repRNA-CoV2S) in immunocompromised, SIV infected and immune competent, naïve pigtail macaques. Moderate vaccine-specific cellular Th1 T-cell responses and binding and neutralizing antibodies were induced by repRNA-CoV2S in SIV infected animals and naïve animals. Furthermore, vaccine immunogenicity was elicited even among the animals with the highest SIV viral burden or lowest peripheral CD4 counts prior to immunization. This study provides evidence that a SARS-CoV-2 repRNA vaccine could be employed to induce strong immunity against COVID-19 in HIV infected and other immunocompromised individuals.

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Systematic Review on COVID-19 Vaccines: Comparative Study of AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Corona Vac.

International Journal of Innovative Research in Medical Science ◽

10.23958/ijirms/vol06-i11/1250 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (11) ◽

pp. 784-794

Author(s):

Gnatoulma Katawa ◽

Christèle Nguepou Tchopba ◽

Pélagie E. Tchadié ◽

Christelle H. Simfele ◽

Eya H. Kamassa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Safety Concern ◽

Protein S ◽

Reliable Information ◽

Humoral Immune ◽

Humoral Immune Responses ◽

Online Databases ◽

The World ◽

Novel Coronavirus

The novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has spread all over the world and the disease, COVID-19, is still wreaking a lot of havoc. Vaccination seems to be the best solution to overcome this pandemic. Several vaccines have been proposed around the world and some of them are already being dispensed, such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and CoronaVac. Population around the World have expressed many doubts about these vaccines and resistance to vaccination has been observed. This, for lack of reliable information on these vaccines. The purpose of this systematic review is to provide a comparison of these homologated vaccines and reliable information on them. Online databases were investigated to search publications on these vaccines and the bibliography was created using Endnote 7.0. Investigations concerned antigenic targets, vaccine types, number and timing of doses, neutralizing antibodies, cellular immunity and safety concerns. The main target protein in COVID-19 vaccines is the spike protein (S). Whereas AstraZeneca, Sputnik V and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are adenoviral vector vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are mRNA vaccines while CoronaVac is a viral attenuated vaccine. Except for Johnson & Johnson which requires one dose, the other vaccines require two doses. All of them induced cellular and humoral immune responses. This review has allowed us to provide to the scientific community and population reliable information about the vaccines and their safety concern.

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Congenital collagenopathies increased the risk of inguinal hernia developing and repair: analysis from a nationwide population-based cohort study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-512402/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hao Han Chang ◽

Yung Shun Juan ◽

Ching Chia Li ◽

Hsiang Ying Lee ◽

Jian Han Chen

Keyword(s):

Inguinal Hernia ◽

Population Based ◽

Collagen Disease ◽

Control Group ◽

Study Cohort ◽

Diagnostic Code ◽

Research Database ◽

Asian Men ◽

Male Patients

Abstract Introduction: The aim of this study is to explore whether male patients diagnosed of congenital collagen diseases had higher risk of occurrence inguinal hernia than patients who do not had these diseases.Method: Data were collected from National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan retrospectively. 1801 male patients who diagnosed of congenital collagen disease by using ICD-9 CM diagnostic code was the study cohort, and in the other hand, after propensity score matching, 6493 man without congenital collagen disease were enrolled as control group. The primary endpoint was receiving inguinal hernia repair during observation period.Result: During median 133.9 months follow-up period, the risk of inguinal hernia in collagen cohort was significantly higher than the control group (HR = 2.237, 95% CI:1.646–3.291, p < 0.001). Furthermore, this phenomenon also presented in patient younger than 18 (HR:3.040 95% CI: 1.819–5.083, p < 0.001) and in age 18–80 (HR: 1.909, 95% CI: 1.186–3.073, p < 0.001).Conclusion: Asian men, regardless of age, with congenital collagen disease are at the risk of developing inguinal hernia. Detailed physical examination and well patient education should be performed while facing these patients.

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