medwireNews: Having a booster dose of vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 augments the humoral immune response in the majority of people with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), suggest findings from a small study.
Among 18 patients who received a single booster dose of a messenger RNA or adenoviral vector vaccine at a median of 77 days after completion of their initial vaccination series, 89% experienced an enhanced antibody response following the booster, say Dorry Segev (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA) and colleagues. The median level of immunoglobulin G antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was 2500 units/mL at a median of 30 days after the booster dose.
The team also found that 80% of the 10 participants who were negative (<0.8 units/mL) for these antibodies after the initial vaccine series were positive following the booster dose, while all six of the people with previous low positive levels (0.8–500 units/mL) had high antibody titers (>2500 units/mL) after the booster. Two people remained negative for anti-spike antibodies following booster vaccination, one of whom was on rituximab therapy and one on mycophenolate.
“Further studies are needed to address safety and efficacy of booster vaccination, as well as optimal adjustment in peri-vaccination timing of immunosuppressive therapies,” conclude Segev and team in a letter to the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2021 Springer Healthcare Ltd, part of the Springer Nature Group
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