Persistence of Anti-S1 IgG against SARS-CoV-2 Eight Months after the Booster Dose of Vaccine in Naive and Previously Infected Healthcare Workers

Our aim was to evaluate the immune response of healthcare workers included in the RIPOVAC study, after receiving a booster dose (third dose), in terms of intensity and persistence of induced antibodies. In the second phase of the RIPOVAC study, between December 2021 and January 2022, eight months after the second dose, 389 voluntary, immunocompetent, non-pregnant healthcare workers received a booster dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, and a serum sample was obtained. Two groups of patients were established: with and without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. In order to quantify anti-S1 IgG (AU/mL) we used CMIA (Abbott). All of the health workers were anti-S IgG positive 8 months after receiving the booster dose of the vaccine, with a mean of 17,040 AU/mL. In 53 patients without previous infection, antibody levels increased by a mean of 10,762 AU/mL. This figure is seven times higher than the one produced after the second dose (1506 AU/mL). The booster dose produces a robust elevation of the antibody level, which persists at 8 months, with levels significantly higher than those reached after the second dose, which allow one to predict a persistence of more than one year. The study demonstrates the efficacy of the booster dose of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

Usefulness of Non-Skin Samples in the PCR Diagnosis of Mpox (Monkeypox)

Cases of mpox have been reported in several European countries, including Spain. Our objective was to evaluate the usefulness of serum and nasopharyngeal samples for diagnosis of mpox. The presence of MPXV DNA was studied using real-time PCR (CerTest Biotec, Zaragoza, Spain) in 106 samples from 50 patients: 32 skin, 31 anogenital, 25 sera, and 18 nasopharyngeal/pharyngeal, in the Hospital Clínico Universitario of Zaragoza (Spain). Sixty-three samples from twenty-seven patients were MPXV PCR-positive. The real-time PCR Ct values in the anogenital and skin samples were lower than serum and nasopharyngeal samples. More than 90% of anogenital (95.7%), serum (94.4%), and skin (92.9%) samples were real-time PCR-positive. Eighteen (66.7%) of the twenty-seven patients who were MPXV PCR-positive had antecedents or presented with one to three sexually transmitted infection (STI) agents. Our results indicate that the use of serum samples can help facilitate the diagnosis of MPXV infections.

Assessment of humoral immune response to two mRNA SARS-CoV-2 VACCINES (Moderna and Pfizer) in healthcare workers fully vaccinated with and without a history of previous infection

Aims

Presence of anti‐S1 region of SARS‐CoV‐2 spike protein was analysed, at two and eight months, in 477 immunocompetent healthcare workers in Zaragoza, Spain, vaccinated with mRNA‐1273 (Moderna) or BNT162b2 (Pfizer).

Methods and results

Antibody analysis was performed with Alinity i System (Abbott). At 2 months, 100% of vaccinated had anti‐S1 IgG (mean = 13,285 AU ml⁻¹). This value was significantly higher with Moderna (18,192 AU ml⁻¹) than with Pfizer (10,441 AU ml⁻¹). The mean value of anti‐S1 IgG after vaccination was significantly higher in patients with than without previous infection (18,539 vs. 7919 AU ml⁻¹); in both groups was significantly higher with Moderna than with Pfizer (21,881 vs. 15,733 AU ml⁻¹ and 11,949 vs. 6387 AU ml⁻¹), respectively. At 8 months, 100% of patients were IgG positive, with higher levels with Moderna than with Pfizer. Nevertheless, in ensemble of cases, a mean decrease of antibody levels of 11,025 AU ml⁻¹ was observed.

Conclusion

At 2 and 8 months after vaccination, IgG response persists with both vaccines but with important decrease which suggests the need for revaccination.

Significance and impact of study

The study contributes to know the immune status after vaccination with two of more used anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccines. This knowledge is important for establishing the best vaccination strategy

Genotype Distribution Change After Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Two Autonomous Communities in Spain

Context

It has been more than 10 years since the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program was initiated in most advanced countries. Thus, it seems necessary to change the uterine cervical cancer screening strategy. Molecular-based tests are considered essential in this scenario.

Objective

We aimed to review the distribution of the HPV genotypes after the introduction of the vaccination program with Cervarix® and Gardasil 4® in two autonomous communities in Spain, looking for possible changes in distribution and the occurrence of a herd effect.

Design

A cross-sectional study was performed in 45,362 samples that were processed in the Cantabria and Aragon communities during the period from 2002 to 2016. We compared the genotype distribution before and after the vaccination program was initiated.

Results

Genotypes HPV6 and HPV11 have decreased significantly after the introduction of the vaccine. HPV16 has had a decrease, but not a significant one in the statistical analysis. However, HPV31, HPV52, and HPV45 have increased in percentage. A replacement phenomenon with other genotypes not included in the vaccine has been observed in our population.

Conclusions

Continued surveillance is needed to provide further indication of any changes over time in the genotypes in circulation. This will be facilitated by monitoring the genotyping results from the new model of cervical screening using primary HPV DNA testing.

Granzyme A inhibition reduces inflammation and increases survival during abdominal sepsis

Aims: Peritonitis is one of the most common causes of sepsis, a serious syndrome characterized by a dysregulated systemic inflammatory response. Recent evidence suggests that Granzyme A (GzmA), a serine protease mainly expressed by NK and T cells, could act as a proinflammatory mediator and could play an important role in the pathogenesis of sepsis. This work aims to analyze the role and the therapeutic potential of GzmA in the pathogenesis of peritoneal sepsis. Methods: The level of extracellular GzmA as well as GzmA activity were analyzed in serum from healthy volunteers and patients with confirmed peritonitis and were correlated with the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Peritonitis was induced in C57Bl/6 (WT) and GzmA-/- mice by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Mice were treated intraperitoneally with antibiotics alone or in combination serpinb6b, a specific GzmA inhibitor, for 5 days. Mouse survival was monitored during 14 days, levels of some proinflammatory cytokines were measured in serum and bacterial load and diversity was analyzed in blood and spleen at different times. Results: Clinically, elevated GzmA was observed in serum from patients with abdominal sepsis suggesting that GzmA plays an important role in this pathology. In the CLP model GzmA deficient mice, or WT mice treated with an extracellular GzmA inhibitor, showed increased survival, which correlated with a reduction in proinflammatory markers in both serum and peritoneal lavage fluid. GzmA deficiency did not influence bacterial load in blood and spleen and GzmA did not affect bacterial replication in macrophages in vitro, indicating that GzmA has no role in bacterial control. Analysis of GzmA in lymphoid cells following CLP showed that it was mainly expressed by NK cells. Mechanistically, we found that extracellular active GzmA acts as a proinflammatory mediator in macrophages by inducing the TLR4-dependent expression of IL-6 and TNFα. Conclusions: Our findings implicate GzmA as a key regulator of the inflammatory response during abdominal sepsis and provide solid evidences about its therapeutic potential for the treatment of this severe pathology.

In Vitro and In Vivo Antibacterial Activity of Gliotoxin Alone and in Combination with Antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus

Multidrug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the major causes of hospital-acquired and community infections and pose a challenge to the human health care system. Therefore, it is important to find new drugs that show activity against these bacteria, both in monotherapy and in combination with other antimicrobial drugs. Gliotoxin (GT) is a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus fumigatus and other fungi of the Aspergillus genus. Some evidence suggests that GT shows antimicrobial activity against S. aureus in vitro, albeit its efficacy against multidrug-resistant strains such as MRSA or vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA) strainsis not known. This work aimed to evaluate the antibiotic efficacy of GT as monotherapy or in combination with other therapeutics against MRSA in vitro and in vivo using a Caenorhabditis elegans infection model.

Hepatitis C virus core antigen for screening organ donors and recipients

Organ donors and recipients are routinely screened for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, typically via anti-HCV detection. We analyze the utility of an alternative HCV core antigen (HCV-Ag) quantification system, the ARCHITECT HCV Ag Assay, in this setting. We simultaneously tested 315 samples from potential organ donors and recipients using two chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassays: ARCHITECT Anti-HCV and HCV Ag (Abbott, Germany). HCV-Ag was detected in 81 of the serum samples (25.71%) and anti-HCV in 87 (27.62%). Seventy-five of the HCV-Ag-positive samples were positive for anti-HCV (92.59%). Overall concordance between the two assays was 94.29%. Of the six HCV-Ag-positive/anti-HCV-negative patients, five had HCV-Ag values <32 fmol/L, and the sixth had a concentration of 477.50 fmol/L (viral load, 137,000 IU/mL). The HCV AG Assay detects HCV infections missed by the Anti-HCV Assay. Both markers should be used to screen for HCV infection in potential organ donors and recipients.

Nosocomial outbreak of methicillin- and linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis associated with catheter-related infections in intensive care unit patients

A total of 128 isolates associated with catheter-related infections was recovered from 101 intensive care unit patients in a Spanish hospital during March 2008 to August 2009, and 27 of these isolates (from 21 patients) were typed as methicillin- and linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. Thirteen of these 21 patients (62%) had received linezolid during the 3 months preceding S. epidermidis recovery. Two closely related pulsotypes (P1a and P1b) were identified among the 27 studied isolates that belonged to the sequence type ST2 and harboured the mecA gene and the SCCmecIII type. The strains recovered from patients 1-4 (pulsotype P1a) showed the nucleotide mutation G2474T inside the amplified fragment of the 23S rRNA region and carried the aac(6')-Ie-aph(2″)-Ia, ant(4'), and catA genes, whereas the strains from patients 5-21 (pulsotype P1b) showed the mutation G2603T and carried the aac(6')-Ie-aph(2″)-Ia gene. None of the strains amplified the cfr gene. The ica gene and the IS256 element were detected in all strains. The emergence of 2 closely related methicillin- and linezolid-resistant S. epidermidis strains with 2 different mutations in the 23S rRNA region (G2474T and G2603T) is reported in this study as a cause of a nosocomial outbreak. The presence of G2474T or G2603T point mutations suggests that there are multiple potential sites within domain V of the 23S rRNA region at which mutations could confer resistance to linezolid in the clinical isolates. To our knowledge, this is the first report in which the G2474T mutation has been detected in domain V of the 23S rRNA gene of clinical S. epidermidis.