Immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in dialysis and kidney transplantation.

Despite progressive improvements in the management of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), individuals with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) are still at high risk of infection-related complications. Although the risk of infection in these patients is comparable to that of the general population, their lower rate of response to vaccination is a matter of concern. When prevention strategies fail, infection is often severe. Comorbidities affecting patients on maintenance dialysis and kidney transplant recipients clearly account for the increased risk of severe COVID-19, while the role of uremia and chronic immunosuppression is less clear. Immune monitoring studies have identified differences in the innate and adaptive immune response against the virus that could contribute to the increased disease severity. In particular, individuals on dialysis show signs of T cell exhaustion that may impair antiviral response. Similar to kidney transplant recipients, antibody production in these patients occurs, but with delayed kinetics compared with the general population, leaving them more exposed to viral expansion during the early phases of infection. Overall, unique features of the immune response during COVID-19 in individuals with ESKD may occur with severe comorbidities affecting these individuals in explaining their poor outcomes.

Immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in dialysis and kidney transplantation

Despite progressive improvements in the management of patients with COVID-19, individuals with end stage kidney disease are still at high risk of infection-related complications. Although the risk of infection in these patients is comparable to the general population, their lower rate of response to vaccination is a matter of concern. When prevention strategies fail, infection is often severe. Comorbidities affecting patients on maintenance dialysis and kidney transplant recipients clearly account for the increased risk of severe COVID-19, while the role of uremia and chronic immunosuppression is less clear. Immune monitoring studies have identified differences in the innate and adaptive immune response against the virus that could contribute to the increased disease severity. In particular, individuals on dialysis show signs of T cell exhaustion that may impair anti-viral response. Similar to kidney transplant recipients, antibody production in these patients occurs, but with delayed kinetics compared to the general population, leaving them more exposed to viral expansion during the early phases of infection. Overall, unique features of the immune response during COVID-19 in individuals with end-stage kidney disease may concur with severe comorbidities affecting these individuals in explaining their poor outcomes.

Immunogenicity and Safety of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccines in a Cohort of Patients With Type 1 Diabetes.

Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) may develop severe outcomes during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but their ability to generate an immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines remains to be established. We evaluated the safety, immunogenicity, and glycometabolic effects of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccines in patients with T1D. A total of 375 patients (326 with T1D and 49 subjects without diabetes) who received two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines (mRNA-1273, BNT162b2) between March and April 2021 at ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco were included in this monocentric observational study. Local and systemic adverse events were reported in both groups after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination, without statistical differences between them. While both patients with T1D and subjects without diabetes exhibited a parallel increase in anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike titers after vaccination, the majority of patients with T1D (70% and 78%, respectively) did not show any increase in the SARS-CoV-2-specific cytotoxic response compared with the robust increase observed in all subjects without diabetes. A reduced secretion of the T-cell-related cytokines interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-α in vaccinated patients with T1D was also observed. No glycometabolic alterations were evident in patients with T1D using continuous glucose monitoring during follow-up. Administration of the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine is associated with an impaired cellular SARS-CoV-2-specific cytotoxic immune response in patients with T1D.

How to Manage COVID-19 Vaccination in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: An Expert Opinion by IMIDs Study Group.

Since March 2020, the outbreak of Sars-CoV-2 pandemic has changed medical practice and daily routine around the world. Huge efforts from pharmacological industries have led to the development of COVID-19 vaccines. In particular two mRNA vaccines, namely the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and the mRNA-1273 (Moderna), and a viral-vectored vaccine, i.e. ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca), have recently been approved in Europe. Clinical trials on these vaccines have been published on the general population showing a high efficacy with minor adverse events. However, specific data about the efficacy and safety of these vaccines in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) are still lacking. Moreover, the limited availability of these vaccines requires prioritizing some vulnerable categories of patients compared to others. In this position paper, we propose the point of view about the management of COVID-19 vaccination from Italian experts on IMIDs and the identification of high-risk groups according to the different diseases and their chronic therapy.

Targeting COVID-19 prevention in hemodialysis facilities is associated with a drastic reduction in central venous catheter-related infections.

BACKGROUND: In hemodialysis (HD) patients, central venous catheter (CVC) related bloodstream infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Hygienic precautions are a key aspect of dialysis care for infection prevention, but they are not sufficient to completely avoid the occurrence of CVC related infections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, hygienic precautions for preventing viral transmission have been markedly reinforced. We evaluated their effects on CVC-related infection rates. METHODS: An observational retrospective study was conducted in two hemodialysis units of the same institution treating 215 chronic hemodialysis patients, 71 of whom are currently (33%) using a CVC. In the CVC cohort, we compared data on catheter-related infection rates during the maximum spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy (February to May 2020) with data from the same period of the previous year and with the whole of 2019. RESULTS: In 2019, we recorded a catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) rate of 1.19 (95% CI 0.81-1.68)/1000 days [2.07 (95% CI 1.12-3.52)/1000 days in the Feb-May 2019 period] and a tunnel and exit-site infection rate of 0.82 (95% CI 0.51-1.24)/1000 days [1.04 (95% CI 0.41-2.15)/1000 days in the Feb-May 2019 period]. Infection rates drastically decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with just one catheter-related bloodstream infection being recorded. Catheter-related bloodstream infection rates showed a significant reduction to 0.20 (95% CI 0.01-0.9)/1000 days (p < 0.05 and p < 0.005 compared to 2019 and to Feb-May 2019, respectively) and a non-significant reduction in tunnel and exit-site infections to 0.6 (95% CI 0.15-1.6)/1000 days. CONCLUSIONS: The observed 91% reduction in catheter-related bloodstream infections compared to the same period in 2019 [IRR 0.09 (95% CI 0.002-0.64)] and the 83% reduction compared to the whole of 2019 [IRR 0.17 (95% CI 0.004-1.009)] suggest that a stricter implementation of hygienic precautions in the dialysis setting can markedly improve the problem of CVC-related infections.