Publications by authors named "N Kohmer"
Viremia defined as detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the blood is a potential marker of disease severity and prognosis in COVID-19 patients. Here, we determined the frequency of viremia in serum of two independent COVID-19 patient cohorts within the German National Pandemic Cohort Network (German: tionales andemie horten etzwerk, NAPKON) with diagnostic RT-PCR against SARS-CoV-2. A cross-sectional cohort with 1,122 COVID-19 patients (German: , SUEP) and 299 patients recruited in a high-resolution platform with patients at high risk to develop severe courses (German: , HAP) were tested for viremia.
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- Falciparum malaria is a serious disease mainly affecting travelers in Germany, with unclear rates of co-infection and insufficient rationale for antibiotic therapy alongside malaria treatment.
- A study conducted on 264 malaria patients showed that 64% received antibiotics, but only 11% had significant bacterial co-infections, while severe malaria didn't correlate with higher co-infection rates.
- The findings suggest that bacterial co-infections in malaria cases are uncommon but highlight the need for personalized risk assessments rather than a blanket approach to antibiotic use.
Hemodialysis patients faced an excess morbidity and mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the effect of second-generation mRNA vaccines against Omicron BA.4 and BA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To evaluate the potential of immunosuppressed patients to mount B-cell and T-cell responses to COVID-19 booster vaccination (third vaccination).
Methods: Patients with primary immunodeficiency (PID), immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) on CD20-depleting treatment with rituximab (RTX), or IMIDs treated with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARDs) were included and assessed before (baseline visit (BL)) and 2, 4 and 8 weeks after COVID-19 booster vaccination. Serum B-cell responses were assessed by antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (anti-spike IgG antibody (S-AB)) and a surrogate virus neutralisation test (sVNT).
Article Synopsis
- The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has evolved to produce sublineages that can evade neutralizing antibodies differently, particularly affecting the immune response from mRNA vaccines.
- Breakthrough infections from the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 variant boost neutralization for some sublineages like BA.4.6 and BF.7 but not for others like BA.2.75.2 and XBB.
- Despite concerns about B cell immunity failure against certain sublineages, T cell immunity remains strong and effective, potentially helping to prevent severe COVID-19 outcomes even in the face of these emerging variants.