Humoral response after mRNA COVID-19 primary vaccination and single booster dose in people living with HIV compared to controls: A French nationwide multicenter cohort study-ANRS0001s COV-POPART.

Background: This study aimed to compare the humoral responses to mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in people living with HIV (PWH) and HIV-negative individuals.

Methods: We included PWH with an undetectable viral load under ART and HIV-negative participants from the French nationwide ANRS COV-POPART cohort who had received two doses of vaccine as a primary vaccination. We compared humoral response between controls and PWH, stratified by CD4 cell count (<200/mm and ≥200/mm CD4 cell counts) at 1, 6, and 12 months after primary vaccination.

Results: A total of 1776 participants were included in this analysis, 684 PWH (99% were on ART, median CD4 counts 673 cells/mm) and 1092 controls. At 1 month, after adjustment on age, sex, and BMI, PWH had lower seroneutralization titers than controls, and PWH with <200 CD4 cell/mm had lower anti-Spike SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. Same results were found at 6 months. However, in participants who received a booster dose between 6 and 12 months postprimary vaccination, we did not observe differences between PWH and controls at 12 months.

Conclusion: PWH had high responses to primary mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. In those who received a booster dose after 6 months, the humoral response at 12 months increased to similar levels to controls, even in those with low CD4 counts at baseline.