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Di Chiara C, Cantarutti A, Raffaella Petrara M, Bonfante F, Benetti E, Boracchini R, Bosa L, Carmona F, Cosma C, Cotugno N, Le Prevost M, Martini G, Meneghel A, Pagliari M, Palma P, Ruffoni E, Zin A, De Rossi A, Giaquinto C, Donà D, Padoan A. Stronger and durable SARS-CoV-2 immune response to mRNA vaccines in 5-11 years old children with prior COVID-19. Vaccine 2024; 42:263-270. [PMID: 38071105 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/01/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES mRNA vaccines elicit a durable humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 in adults, whereas evidence in children is scarce. This study aimed to assess the early and long-term immune response to the mRNA vaccine in children with or without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS In a multicentre prospective observational study, we profiled the immune response to the Pfizer BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccine in 5-11-year-old children attending the University Pediatric Hospital of Padua and Bambino-Gesù Hospital in Rome (Italy) from December-2021 to February-2023. Blood samples were collected pre-, 1-, and 6-months after vaccination. Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) and anti-spike-receptor-binding-domain (anti-S-RBD) IgG titers were analyzed through Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT) and chemiluminescent immune-enzymatic assay (CLIA), respectively. Immune cell phenotypes were analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS Sixty children (26 [43 %] female, median age = 8 years [IQR = 7-10.7]) were enrolled in the study, including 46 children with a laboratory-confirmed previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2-recovered) and 14 SARS-CoV-2-naïve participants defined as the absence of antigen-specific antibodies before vaccination. SARS-CoV-2-recovered participants recorded higher anti-S-RBD IgG and Wild-type and Omicron BA.2 NAbs titers than SARS-CoV-2-naïve participants at both 1- and 6-months after vaccination. Antibody titers correlated with T (Tregs) and B (Bregs) regulatory cell frequencies in SARS-CoV-2-recovered children. Both SARS-CoV-2-recovered and SARS-CoV-2-naïve participants decreased antibody titers by approximately 100 to 250 % from 1 to 6 months. While children with immunocompromising underlying conditions developed immune responses comparable to those of healthy children, solid organ transplant recipients exhibited lower levels of NAbs and anti-S-RBD IgG titers, as well as reduced frequencies of Tregs and Bregs. CONCLUSIONS mRNA vaccination triggered a higher production of specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies along with increased levels of regulatory cells in children with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection up to the following 6 months. These findings provide insights into boosting pre-existing immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Costanza Di Chiara
- Department for Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, 3 - 35128 Padua, Italy; Penta - Child Health Research, Corso Stati Uniti, 4 - 35127 Padua, Italy.
| | - Anna Cantarutti
- Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods, Division of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Laboratory of Healthcare Research and Pharmacoepidemiology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1 - 20126 Milan, Italy.
| | - Maria Raffaella Petrara
- Oncology and Immunology Section, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, 2 - 35124 Padua, Italy.
| | - Francesco Bonfante
- Division of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale dell'Università, 10 - 35020 Legnaro (Padua), Italy.
| | - Elisa Benetti
- Department of Medicine-DIMED, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padua, Italy.
| | - Riccardo Boracchini
- Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods, Division of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Laboratory of Healthcare Research and Pharmacoepidemiology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1 - 20126 Milan, Italy.
| | - Luca Bosa
- Department for Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, 3 - 35128 Padua, Italy.
| | - Francesco Carmona
- Immunology and Diagnostic Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Via Gattamelata, 64 - 35128 Padua, Italy.
| | - Chiara Cosma
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University-Hospital of Padova, Via Giambattista Belzoni, 160 - 35121 Padua, Italy.
| | - Nicola Cotugno
- Unit of Clinical Immunology and Vaccinology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Piazza Sant'Onofrio, 4 - 00165 Rome, Italy.
| | - Marthe Le Prevost
- Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at University College London, 90 High Holborn, WC1V 6LJ London, United Kingdom.
| | - Giorgia Martini
- Department for Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, 3 - 35128 Padua, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Meneghel
- Department for Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, 3 - 35128 Padua, Italy.
| | - Matteo Pagliari
- Division of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale dell'Università, 10 - 35020 Legnaro (Padua), Italy.
| | - Paolo Palma
- Unit of Clinical Immunology and Vaccinology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Piazza Sant'Onofrio, 4 - 00165 Rome, Italy.
| | - Elena Ruffoni
- Immunology and Diagnostic Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Via Gattamelata, 64 - 35128 Padua, Italy.
| | - Annachiara Zin
- Department for Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, 3 - 35128 Padua, Italy.
| | - Anita De Rossi
- Oncology and Immunology Section, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, 2 - 35124 Padua, Italy; Immunology and Diagnostic Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Via Gattamelata, 64 - 35128 Padua, Italy.
| | - Carlo Giaquinto
- Department for Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, 3 - 35128 Padua, Italy; Penta - Child Health Research, Corso Stati Uniti, 4 - 35127 Padua, Italy.
| | - Daniele Donà
- Department for Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, 3 - 35128 Padua, Italy; Penta - Child Health Research, Corso Stati Uniti, 4 - 35127 Padua, Italy.
| | - Andrea Padoan
- Department of Medicine-DIMED, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padua, Italy.
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Díaz-Dinamarca DA, Díaz P, Barra G, Puentes R, Arata L, Grossolli J, Riveros-Rodriguez B, Ardiles L, Santelises J, Vasquez-Saez V, Escobar DF, Soto D, Canales C, Díaz J, Lamperti L, Castillo D, Urra M, Zuñiga F, Ormazabal V, Nova-Lamperti E, Benítez R, Rivera A, Cortes CP, Valenzuela MT, García-Escorza HE, Vasquez AE. Humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 evoked by heterologous vaccination groups using the CoronaVac (Sinovac) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) vaccines in Chile. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1229045. [PMID: 37693706 PMCID: PMC10483147 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1229045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused over million deaths worldwide, with more than 61,000 deaths in Chile. The Chilean government has implemented a vaccination program against SARS-CoV-2, with over 17.7 million people receiving a complete vaccination scheme. The final target is 18 million individuals. The most common vaccines used in Chile are CoronaVac (Sinovac) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer-Biotech). Given the global need for vaccine boosters to combat the impact of emerging virus variants, studying the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is crucial. In this study, we characterize the humoral immune response in inoculated volunteers from Chile who received vaccination schemes consisting of two doses of CoronaVac [CoronaVac (2x)], two doses of CoronaVac plus one dose of BNT162b2 [CoronaVac (2x) + BNT162b2 (1x)], and three doses of BNT162b2 [BNT162b2 (3x)]. Methods We recruited 469 participants from Clínica Dávila in Santiago and the Health Center Víctor Manuel Fernández in the city of Concepción, Chile. Additionally, we included participants who had recovered from COVID-19 but were not vaccinated (RCN). We analyzed antibodies, including anti-N, anti-S1-RBD, and neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Results We found that antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein were significantly higher in the CoronaVac (2x) and RCN groups compared to the CoronaVac (2x) + BNT162b2 (1x) or BNT162b2 (3x) groups. However, the CoronaVac (2x) + BNT162b2 (1x) and BNT162b2 (3x) groups exhibited a higher concentration of S1-RBD antibodies than the CoronaVac (2x) group and RCN group. There were no significant differences in S1-RBD antibody titers between the CoronaVac (2x) + BNT162b2 (1x) and BNT162b2 (3x) groups. Finally, the group immunized with BNT162b2 (3x) had higher levels of neutralizing antibodies compared to the RCN group, as well as the CoronaVac (2x) and CoronaVac (2x) + BNT162b2 (1x) groups. Discussion These findings suggest that vaccination induces the secretion of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, and a booster dose of BNT162b2 is necessary to generate a protective immune response. In the current state of the pandemic, these data support the Ministry of Health of the Government of Chile's decision to promote heterologous vaccination as they indicate that a significant portion of the Chilean population has neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego A. Díaz-Dinamarca
- Sección de Biotecnología, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pablo Díaz
- Sección de Biotecnología, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gisselle Barra
- Sección de Biotecnología, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Puentes
- Sección gestión de la información, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Loredana Arata
- Sección de Biotecnología, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jonnathan Grossolli
- Sección de Biotecnología, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Boris Riveros-Rodriguez
- Sección de Biotecnología, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Luis Ardiles
- Sección de Biotecnología, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Julio Santelises
- Sección de Biotecnología, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Tecnología Medica, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana-Universidad del Desarrollo, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Valeria Vasquez-Saez
- Sección de Biotecnología, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Daniel F. Escobar
- Sección de Biotecnología, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Daniel Soto
- Sección de Biotecnología, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Cecilia Canales
- Sección gestión de la información, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Janepsy Díaz
- Sección gestión de la información, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Liliana Lamperti
- Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Daniela Castillo
- Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Mychel Urra
- Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Felipe Zuñiga
- Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Valeska Ormazabal
- Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Estefanía Nova-Lamperti
- Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Rosana Benítez
- Unidad de investigación Clínica, Clínica Dávila, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alejandra Rivera
- Unidad de investigación Clínica, Clínica Dávila, Santiago, Chile
| | - Claudia P. Cortes
- Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Santiago, Chile
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Clínica Santa María, Santiago, Chile
| | | | | | - Abel E. Vasquez
- Sección de Biotecnología, Departamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Tecnología Medica, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana-Universidad del Desarrollo, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Investigación, Postgrado y Educación Continua (DIPEC), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Alba, Santiago, Chile
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3
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Vigón L, Sánchez-Tornero A, Rodríguez-Mora S, García-Pérez J, Corona de Lapuerta M, Pérez-Lamas L, Casado-Fernández G, Moreno G, Torres M, Mateos E, Murciano-Antón MA, Alcamí J, Pérez-Olmeda M, López-Jiménez J, García-Gutiérrez V, Coiras M, On Behalf Of Multidisciplinary Group Of Study Of Covid-Mgs-Covid. Strong Cellular Immune Response, but Not Humoral, against SARS-CoV-2 in Oncohematological Patients with Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation after Natural Infection. J Clin Med 2022; 11:2137. [PMID: 35456230 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11082137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncohematological patients show a low immune response against SARS-CoV-2, both to natural infection and after vaccination. Most studies are focused on the analysis of the humoral response; therefore, the information available about the cellular immune response is limited. In this study, we analyzed the humoral and cellular immune responses in nine individuals who received chemotherapy for their oncohematological diseases, as well as consolidation with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), after being naturally infected with SARS-CoV-2. All individuals had asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 and were not vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. These results were compared with matched healthy individuals who also had mild COVID-19. The humoral response against SARS-CoV-2 was not detected in 6 of 9 oncohematological individuals prior to ASCT. The levels of antibodies and their neutralization capacity decreased after ASCT. Conversely, an enhanced cytotoxic activity against SARS-CoV-2-infected cells was observed after chemotherapy plus ASCT, mostly based on high levels of NK, NKT, and CD8+TCRγδ+ cell populations that were able to produce IFNγ and TNFα. These results highlight the importance of performing analyses not only to evaluate the levels of IgGs against SARS-CoV-2, but also to determine the quality of the cellular immune response developed during the immune reconstitution after ASCT.
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4
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Cristiano A, Nuccetelli M, Pieri M, Sarubbi S, Pelagalli M, Calugi G, Tomassetti F, Bernardini S. Serological anti- SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies association to live virus neutralizing test titers in COVID-19 paucisymptomatic/symptomatic patients and vaccinated subjects. Int Immunopharmacol 2021; 101:108215. [PMID: 34649115 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2021.108215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
A large number of immunoassays have been developed to detect specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies; however, not always they are functional to neutralize the virus. The reference test for the anti-spike neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) ability to counteract the viral infection is the virus neutralization test (VNT). Great interest is developing on reliable serological assays allowing antibodies concentration and antibody protective titer correlation. The aim of our study was to detect nAbs serum levels in paucisymptomatic, symptomatic and vaccinated subjects, to find a cut-off value able to protect from virus infection. nAbs serum levels were detected by a competitive automated immunoassay, in association to VNT with the SARS-CoV-2 original and British variant strains. The median nAbs concentrations were: 281.3 BAU/ml for paucisymptomatics; 769.4 BAU/ml for symptomatics; 351.65 BAU/ml for the vaccinated cohort; 983 BAU/ml considering only the second dose vaccinated individuals. The original strain VNT analysis showed 1:80 median neutralization titers in paucisymptomatic and vaccinated subjects; 1:160 in symptomatic patients; 1:160 in the second dose groups. The British variant VNT analysis showed lower neutralization titers in paucisymptomatic and vaccinated groups (1:40); the same titer in symptomatic patients (1:160); the second dose group confirmed the original strain titer (1:160). In conclusion, our data showed optimal correlations with a proportional increase between neutralizing activity and antibody concentration, making nAbs detection a good alternative to virus neutralization assays, difficult to carry out in routine laboratories. Finally, ROC curve analysis established a cut-off of 408.6 BAU/ml to identify subjects with a low risk of infection.
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5
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Vigón L, García-Pérez J, Rodríguez-Mora S, Torres M, Mateos E, Castillo de la Osa M, Cervero M, Malo De Molina R, Navarro C, Murciano-Antón MA, García-Gutiérrez V, Planelles V, Alcamí J, Pérez-Olmeda M, Coiras M, López-Huertas MR. Impaired Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity in a Spanish Cohort of Patients With COVID-19 Admitted to the ICU. Front Immunol 2021; 12:742631. [PMID: 34616404 PMCID: PMC8488389 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.742631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infection causes COVID-19, ranging from mild to critical disease in symptomatic subjects. It is essential to better understand the immunologic responses occurring in patients with the most severe outcomes. In this study, parameters related to the humoral immune response elicited against SARS-CoV-2 were analysed in 61 patients with different presentations of COVID-19 who were recruited in Hospitals and Primary Healthcare Centres in Madrid, Spain, during the first pandemic peak between April and June 2020. Subjects were allocated as mild patients without hospitalization, severe patients hospitalized or critical patients requiring ICU assistance. Critical patients showed significantly enhanced levels of B cells with memory and plasmablast phenotypes, as well as higher levels of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 with neutralization ability, which were particularly increased in male gender. Despite all this, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity was defective in these individuals. Besides, patients with critical COVID-19 also showed increased IgG levels against herpesvirus such as CMV, EBV, HSV-1 and VZV, as well as detectable CMV and EBV viremia in plasma. Altogether, these results suggest an enhanced but ineffectual immune response in patients with critical COVID-19 that allowed latent herpesvirus reactivation. These findings should be considered during the clinical management of these patients due to the potential contribution to the most severe disease during SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Vigón
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Javier García-Pérez
- AIDS Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Sara Rodríguez-Mora
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Montserrat Torres
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Elena Mateos
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - María Castillo de la Osa
- Serology Laboratory, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Miguel Cervero
- Internal Medicine Service, Hospital Universitario Severo Ochoa, Leganés, Spain
| | - Rosa Malo De Molina
- Neumology Service, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Majadahonda, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Vicente Planelles
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - José Alcamí
- AIDS Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Mayte Pérez-Olmeda
- Serology Laboratory, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Mayte Coiras
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - María Rosa López-Huertas
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
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Willschke H, Wochele-Thoma T, Atanasov AG, Klager E, Haslinger C, Kletecka-Pulker M, Laxar D, Ay C, Öhlinger T, Kimberger O, Steinrigl A, Holzer B, Heger F, Indra A. Can We Protect Those We Care for in A Pandemic? - Prevalence of Neutralizing Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in Nursing Homes. Aging Dis 2021; 12:710-717. [PMID: 34094636 PMCID: PMC8139192 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2021.0217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In December 2019, the People's Republic of China and the World Health Organization first reported on a cluster of pneumonia with an unknown cause. Nine months later more than 1.4 million people have died from COVID 19. In this work, the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on five nursing homes in Austria, which cared for 889 residents in the first half of 2020, were examined. The research question was whether the measures taken were appropriate to prevent an outbreak within the individual facilities. To detect previously unrecognized infections, the present study evaluated the prevalence of neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in residents and employees of the nursing homes. Following the analysis of blood samples, the prospectively collected data was connected to data from screening examinations and data from contact tracing. The present study demonstrated an overall prevalence of neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in nursing homes of 3.7%. Whereas the prevalence in those facilities that have never been hit by an outbreak is 0%, the prevalence in those facilities with an outbreak is up to 4.9%. Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were detected in 35 persons. A retrospective analysis of all 5 included nursing homes demonstrated that upon regular clinical screening in combination with PCRs an infection with SARS-COV-2 was detected in 66 residents and 24 employees from different professional groups. In only 25 of the 35 persons with neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 an infection was proven in advance. This study suggests that specific measures can prevent transmission within a health care facility. Nevertheless, the results also show that a risk reduction to 0% cannot be achieved. In preparation for further pandemic waves there is still the need to reduce the probability of a transmission in nursing homes with specific test strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harald Willschke
- 1Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Digital Health and Patient Safety, Vienna, Austria.,2Department of Anaesthesia and General Intensive Care, Medical University Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Wochele-Thoma
- 1Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Digital Health and Patient Safety, Vienna, Austria.,3Caritas Erzdiözese Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Atanas G Atanasov
- 1Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Digital Health and Patient Safety, Vienna, Austria.,4Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Jastrzebiec, Magdalenka, Poland.,5Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria.,6Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Klager
- 1Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Digital Health and Patient Safety, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Daniel Laxar
- 1Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Digital Health and Patient Safety, Vienna, Austria.,2Department of Anaesthesia and General Intensive Care, Medical University Vienna, Austria
| | - Care Ay
- 2Department of Anaesthesia and General Intensive Care, Medical University Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Öhlinger
- 2Department of Anaesthesia and General Intensive Care, Medical University Vienna, Austria
| | - Oliver Kimberger
- 1Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Digital Health and Patient Safety, Vienna, Austria.,2Department of Anaesthesia and General Intensive Care, Medical University Vienna, Austria
| | - Adi Steinrigl
- 8AGES - Österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit GmbH, Institute for Veterinary Disease Control, Mödling, Austria
| | - Barbara Holzer
- 8AGES - Österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit GmbH, Institute for Veterinary Disease Control, Mödling, Austria
| | - Florian Heger
- 9AGES - Österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit GmbH, Institute for medical Microbiology and Hygiene Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander Indra
- 10Paracelsus Medical University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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