A Pilot Single-Blinded, Randomized, Controlled Trial Comparing BNT162b2 vs. JNJ-78436735 Vaccine as the Third Dose After Two Doses of BNT162b2 Vaccine in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients.

Solid Organ Transplant (SOT) recipients are at significant higher risk for COVID-19 and due to immunosuppressive medication, the immunogenicity after vaccination is suboptimal. In the previous studies, booster method showed significant benefit in this population. In the current study, we compared using a mix-and-match method vs. same vaccine as a third dose in SOT recipients. This was a patient-blinded, single center, randomized controlled trial comparing BNT162b2 vs. JNJ-78436735 vaccine as the third dose after two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine. We included adult SOT recipients with functional graft who had received two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either BNT162b2 or JNJ-78436735 in one-to-one ratio. Primary outcome was SARS-CoV-2 IgG positivity at 1 month after the third dose. Sixty SOT recipients, including 36 kidney, 12 liver, 2 lung, 3 heart, and 5 combined transplants, were enrolled, and 57 recipients were analyzed per protocol. There were no statistically significant differences between the two vaccine protocols for IgG positivity (83.3% vs. 85.2% for BNT162b2 and JNJ-78436735, respectively, p = 0.85, Odds Ratio 0.95, 95% Confidence Interval 0.23-4.00). Comparison of the geometric mean titer demonstrated a higher trend with BNT162b2 (p = 0.09). In this pilot randomized controlled trial comparing mix and match method vs. uniform vaccination in SOT recipients, both vaccines were safely used. Since this was a small sample sized study, there was no statistically significant difference in immunogenicity; though, the mix and match method showed relatively lower geometric mean titer, as compared to uniform vaccine. Further studies need to be conducted to determine duration of this immunogenicity. Clinical Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05047640?term=20210641&draw=2&rank=1, identifier 20210641.

When is it safe to perform abdominal transplantation in patients with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection: A case series.

BACKGROUND: The Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic has negatively impacted worldwide organ transplantation. However, there is limited information on recipients transplanted after SARS-CoV-2 infection. A full understanding of this scenario is required, as transplantation is a life-saving procedure and COVID-19 remains an ongoing threat. METHODS: Abdominal organ transplant recipients diagnosed with COVID-19 prior to transplantation were identified by chart review and clinical data were collected. The primary outcome was the transplant outcome including graft loss, rejection and death, and reactivation of infection post-transplant. RESULTS: We identified 14 patients who received abdominal organ transplants after symptomatic PCR confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection; four patients had a positive PCR at the time of admission for transplantation. The median time of follow-up was 79 (22-190) days. One recipient with negative PCR before transplant tested positive 9 days after transplant. One of 14 transplanted patients developed disseminated mold infection and died 86 days after transplant. During the follow-up, only one patient developed rejection; thirteen patients had favorable graft outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: We were able to perform abdominal transplantation for patients with COVID-19 before transplant, even with positive PCR at the time of transplant. Larger studies are needed to determine the time to safe transplant after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Kidney transplantation during coronavirus 2019 pandemic at a large hospital in Miami.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in more than 350 000 deaths worldwide. The number of kidney transplants has declined during the pandemic. We describe our deceased donor kidney transplantation (DDKT) experience during the pandemic. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the safety of DDKT during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple preventive measures were implemented. Adult patients that underwent DDKT from 3/1/20 to 4/30/20 were included. COVID-19 clinical manifestations from donors and recipients, and post-transplant outcomes (COVID-19 infections, readmissions, allograft rejection, and mortality) were obtained. The kidney transplant (KT) recipients were followed until 5/31/20. RESULTS: Seventy-six patients received kidneys from 57 donors. Fever, dyspnea, and cough were reported in 1, 2, and 1 donor, respectively. Thirty-eight (66.6%) donors were tested for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) prior to donation (mainly by nasopharyngeal or bronchoalveolar lavage polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) and 36 (47.3%) KT recipients were tested at the time of DDKT by nasopharyngeal PCR; all of these were negative. Our recipients were followed for a median of 63 (range: 33-91) days. A total of 42 (55.3%) recipients were tested post-transplant for SARS-CoV2 by nasopharyngeal PCR including 12 patients that became symptomatic; all tests were negative except for one that was inconclusive, but it was repeated and came back negative. Forty (52.6%) KT recipients were readmitted, and 7 (9.2%) had biopsy-proven rejection during the follow-up. None of the KT recipients transplanted during this period died. CONCLUSIONS: Our cohort demonstrated that DDKT can be safely performed during the COVID-19 pandemic when preventive measures are implemented.