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Abstract
Objectives Evidence suggests that B cell-depleting therapy with rituximab (RTX) affects humoral immune response after vaccination. It remains unclear whether RTX-treated patients can develop a humoral and T-cell-mediated immune response against SARS-CoV-2 after immunisation.
Methods Patients under RTX treatment (n=74) were vaccinated twice with either mRNA-1273 or BNT162b2. Antibodies were quantified using the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S immunoassay against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein and neutralisation tests. SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses were quantified by IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assays. Prepandemic healthy individuals (n=5), as well as healthy individuals (n=10) vaccinated with BNT162b2, served as controls.
Results All healthy controls developed antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 RBD of the spike protein, but only 39% of the patients under RTX treatment seroconverted. Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 RBD significantly correlated with neutralising antibodies (τ=0.74, p<0.001). Patients without detectable CD19+ peripheral B cells (n=36) did not develop specific antibodies, except for one patient. Circulating B cells correlated with the levels of antibodies (τ=0.4, p<0.001). However, even patients with a low number of B cells (<1%) mounted detectable SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses. SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells were detected in 58% of the patients, independent of a humoral immune response.
Conclusions The data suggest that vaccination can induce SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in RTX-treated patients, once peripheral B cells at least partially repopulate. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells that evolved in more than half of the vaccinated patients may exert protective effects independent of humoral immune responses.
- rituximab
- vaccination
- COVID-19
Data availability statement
Data are available upon reasonable request. All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information. All data relevant to the study are included in the report. All data are included in the article.
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Data availability statement
Data are available upon reasonable request. All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information. All data relevant to the study are included in the report. All data are included in the article.
Footnotes
Handling editor Gerd-Rüdiger R Burmester
DM and ST contributed equally.
Contributors All authors contributed to manuscript preparation. MB, DA, ST, DS, DM, SB and SW contributed to the study design. DM contributed to data analysis. TP, HH and KS performed antibody measurement. JHA, MK, PH and MG contributed to cellular assays, data analysis and manuscript preparation. LXH, HR and DM performed data analysis. MB, DA, JSS and DM contributed to manuscript preparation. RT determined leucocyte subsets.
Funding Work was supported by the Medical-Scientific fund of the Mayor of the federal capital Vienna to J.A. [grant Covid003].
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
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