TY - JOUR
T1 - Immune cell populations and induced immune responses at admission in patients hospitalized with vaccine breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections
AU - Sejdic, Adin
AU - Hartling, Hans Jakob
AU - Holler, Jon Gitz
AU - Klingen Gjærde, Lars
AU - Lindegaard, Birgitte
AU - Dungu, Arnold Matovu
AU - Gnesin, Filip
AU - Møller, Maria Elizabeth Engel
AU - Teglgaard, Rebecca Svanberg
AU - Niemann, Carsten Utoft
AU - Brooks, Patrick Terrence
AU - Jørgensen, Charlotte Sværke
AU - Franck, Kristina Træholt
AU - Fischer, Thea K
AU - Marquart, Hanne Vibeke
AU - Harboe, Zitta Barrella
AU - Ostrowski, Sisse Rye
N1 - Copyright © 2024 Sejdic, Hartling, Holler, Klingen Gjærde, Lindegaard, Dungu, Gnesin, Møller, Teglgaard, Niemann, Brooks, Jørgensen, Franck, Fischer, Marquart, Harboe and Ostrowski.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - BACKGROUND: Vaccine breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections are common and of clinical and public health concern. However, little is known about the immunological characteristics of patients hospitalized due to these infections. We aimed to investigate and compare immune cell subpopulations and induced immune responses in vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19.METHODS: A nested case-control study on adults (≥ 18 years) who received at least two doses of a mRNA-COVID-19 vaccine and were hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections and severe COVID-19 between January 7, 2021, and February 1, 2022, were eligible for inclusion. Age- and sex-matched non-vaccinated controls were identified. Immunophenotyping was performed using a custom-designed 10-color flow cytometry prefabricated freeze-dried antibody panel (DuraClone, Beckman Coulter (BC), Brea, Calif). TruCulture (Myriad RBM, Austin, USA) was used to assess induced immune response in whole blood, revealing different critical signaling pathways as a proxy for immune function. All samples were obtained within 48 hours of admission.RESULTS: In total, 20 hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 and a breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection were included, ten vaccinated and ten non-vaccinated patients. Vaccinated patients had lower concentrations of CD19 B cells (p = 0.035), naïve CD4 T cells (p = 0.015), a higher proportion of γδ1 T cells (p = 0.019), and higher unstimulated immune cell release of IL-10 (p = 0.015).CONCLUSION: We observed immunological differences between vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients hospitalized due to severe COVID-19 that indicate that vaccinated patients had lower B cell concentrations, lower concentrations of CD4 naïve T cells, a skewed gamma-delta V1/V2 ratio, and an exaggerated IL-10 response at admission. These results could indicate a suboptimal immune response involved in SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections that cause severe COVID-19 in vaccinated adults. However, the sample size was small, and further research is needed to confirm these results.
AB - BACKGROUND: Vaccine breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections are common and of clinical and public health concern. However, little is known about the immunological characteristics of patients hospitalized due to these infections. We aimed to investigate and compare immune cell subpopulations and induced immune responses in vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19.METHODS: A nested case-control study on adults (≥ 18 years) who received at least two doses of a mRNA-COVID-19 vaccine and were hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections and severe COVID-19 between January 7, 2021, and February 1, 2022, were eligible for inclusion. Age- and sex-matched non-vaccinated controls were identified. Immunophenotyping was performed using a custom-designed 10-color flow cytometry prefabricated freeze-dried antibody panel (DuraClone, Beckman Coulter (BC), Brea, Calif). TruCulture (Myriad RBM, Austin, USA) was used to assess induced immune response in whole blood, revealing different critical signaling pathways as a proxy for immune function. All samples were obtained within 48 hours of admission.RESULTS: In total, 20 hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 and a breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection were included, ten vaccinated and ten non-vaccinated patients. Vaccinated patients had lower concentrations of CD19 B cells (p = 0.035), naïve CD4 T cells (p = 0.015), a higher proportion of γδ1 T cells (p = 0.019), and higher unstimulated immune cell release of IL-10 (p = 0.015).CONCLUSION: We observed immunological differences between vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients hospitalized due to severe COVID-19 that indicate that vaccinated patients had lower B cell concentrations, lower concentrations of CD4 naïve T cells, a skewed gamma-delta V1/V2 ratio, and an exaggerated IL-10 response at admission. These results could indicate a suboptimal immune response involved in SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections that cause severe COVID-19 in vaccinated adults. However, the sample size was small, and further research is needed to confirm these results.
KW - Humans
KW - COVID-19/immunology
KW - Male
KW - Female
KW - Middle Aged
KW - SARS-CoV-2/immunology
KW - Aged
KW - Case-Control Studies
KW - COVID-19 Vaccines/immunology
KW - Adult
KW - Hospitalization
KW - Vaccination
KW - Antibodies, Viral/blood
KW - Immunophenotyping
KW - Breakthrough Infections
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85196264601&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1360843
DO - 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1360843
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 38903511
SN - 1664-3224
VL - 15
SP - 1360843
JO - Frontiers in Immunology
JF - Frontiers in Immunology
M1 - 1360843
ER -