Publications by authors named "Margarethe Kittel"
Article Synopsis
- Vaccination is crucial for kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) against SARS-CoV-2, but their immune response is often weaker than that of healthy individuals.
- The study analyzed the T-cell response in 148 KTRs, finding lower spike-specific T cell frequencies compared to controls, but a positive association was seen with spike-specific antibodies and certain vaccination strategies.
- KTRs who contracted SARS-CoV-2 post-vaccination exhibited significantly enhanced T-cell responses, indicating that hybrid immunity (from both vaccination and infection) provides stronger protection.
Article Synopsis
- A study examined how modifying vaccination strategies, specifically by reducing mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) doses, can enhance the immune response in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) post-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.
- Out of 174 previously seronegative KTRs, 32% became seropositive after a third vaccination, but only three developed neutralizing antibodies against the omicron variant.
- The findings suggest that a reduction of MMF by at least 33% prior to vaccination can significantly improve seroconversion rates in KTRs, potentially improving the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Background: Patients with kidney failure on dialysis or after renal transplantation have a high risk for severe COVID-19 infection, and vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is the only expedient prophylaxis. Generally, immune responses are attenuated in patients with kidney failure, however, systematic analyses of immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients on dialysis and in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) are still needed.
Methods: In this prospective, multicentric cohort study, antibody responses to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2 [BioNTech/Pfizer] or mRNA-1273 [Moderna]) were measured in 32 patients on dialysis and in 28 KTRs.