ABSTRACT
Background: The tolerability of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines among people living with HIV (PLWH) has been understudied in vaccine trials. CoVPN 3008 (Ubuntu) is the largest multicenter Phase 3 efficacy trial of mRNA vaccines in sub-Saharan Africa. Method(s): We enrolled adults age >=18 years living with HIV or another comorbidity associated with severe COVID-19. Previously vaccinated individuals were excluded. Baseline testing included HIV, CD4 count and HIV viral load (VL) (if HIV+), anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, and nasal swab SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). All participants receive vaccinations at months 0 and 6, and SARS-CoV-2 seronegative individuals also receive vaccination at month 1. This analysis includes mRNA-1273 vaccinations at months 0 and 1. Reactogenicity (solicited adverse events [AEs]) was assessed among a representative subset of participants (Safety Subset, SS) for 7 days post-vaccination. Baseline characteristics associated with moderate/severe reactogenicity events were assessed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Result(s): 14002 participants were enrolled in the trial (1510 into the SS) at 46 sites from 2 Dec 2021 to 9 Sep 2022. At baseline in the SS, 71% (1065) were female, median age 38 years (IQR 32-46), and median BMI 25.0 (IQR 20.7-30.2). 73% (1108) were SARS-CoV-2 seropositive, and 8.7% (131) had a positive nasal NAAT swab. 16% (197) had a history of tuberculosis. 84% (1267) were PLWH, with median CD4 count of 614 cells/muL (IQR 414-861);7.8% had CD4 count < 200. 21% (238) had detectable HIV VL (>=50 copies/mL), with median VL 1660 (IQR 182-23932). 14% (172/1262) and 12% (64/542) of PLWH reported moderate/severe reactogenicity after the 1st and 2nd vaccination (Figure), with no hospitalizations. Female PLWH and CD4 count >500 had 35% (p=0.03) and 44% (p=0.04) increased odds of moderate/severe reactogenicity, respectively. Other baseline characteristics were not associated with the odds of reporting moderate/severe reactogenicity among PLWH after 1st vaccination. Similar trends were seen after the 2nd vaccination, but none reached statistical significance. In multivariate models, female sex remained associated with increased odds of moderate/severe reactogenicity after the 2nd vaccination. Conclusion(s): Similar to observations in HIV-negative populations, mRNA-1273 was well tolerated by PLWH with more reactogenicity in females. Impaired inflammatory responses among participants with CD4 counts < 500 cell/muL may explain less moderate/severe reactions.
ABSTRACT
Background: SARS-CoV-2 has claimed over a million lives and remains a global threat. Understanding immune responses to infection and developing validated laboratory assays to measure them is critical to the rapid development, assessment and implementation of effective interventions. Our development of a validated pseudovirus neutralization assay and characterization of neutralizing antibody (nAb) profiles in a diverse post-SARS-CoV-2 cohort can inform preventative and therapeutic efforts, including vaccine and monoclonal antibody development and deployment. Methods:This analysis comprises an observational cohort of n=330 adults in the US (n=168) and Peru (n=162), convalescing from SARS-CoV-2 infection and stratified by age, asymptomatic or symptomatic infection, and hospitalization. NAb titers are measured in serum by SARS-CoV-2.D614G Spike-pseudotyped virus infection of 293T/ACE2 cells. Multiple linear regression is applied to define associations between nAb titers and demographic variables, disease severity and duration, and co-morbidities within and across US and Peruvian cohorts over time. Results: The mean age is 48 years;49% were assigned female sex at birth, 51% male;54% are Latinx;50% identified as Other race, 34% White, 11% Black, 4%Asian. The mean days from SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis to enrollment was 52. NAb titers were higher in participants with a history of severe illness (p<0.001) and peaked 28-42 days post-diagnosis. ID50 (ID80) nAb titers >20 were detected at enrollment in 66% (46%) of asymptomatic, 86% (74%) of symptomatic and 95% (92%) of hospitalized individuals. Median ID50 (ID80) titers at enrollment among asymptomatic, symptomatic and hospitalized individuals were 107 (10), 482 (59) and 1,953 (366), respectively. Two months post-enrollment, median ID50 (ID80) titers among asymptomatic, symptomatic and hospitalized individuals declined to 30 (10), 130 (16) and 564 (103), respectively. Diabetes (p=0.011), age >55yo (p<0.001), male sex (p=0.003) and BMI ≥30 (p=0.021) were associated with higher ID80 titers. Hypertension was associated with lower ID50 titers (p=0.005). Conclusion: NAb titers after SARS-CoV-2 infection correlate with illness severity and underlying co-morbidities, and peak approximately one month postdiagnosis. Large, diverse, well-characterized cohorts of convalescent individuals facilitate development of standardized laboratory methods and reagents to measure immune responses and provide standardized values to benchmark SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-elicited responses.