DURABILITY OF SEROLOGICAL RESPONSES AFTER SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH DOSE OF SARS-COV-2 VACCINATION IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

ABSTRACT

Background Adequate serological responses following two-dose regimens and additional doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination have been demonstrated for the vast majority of those with IBD. However, antibody levels following 2nd, 3rd, and 4th dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccination may decrease over time in the IBD population. Purpose We assessed the durability of serological responses to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccination over time in a cohort of IBD patients. Method Adults with IBD who received at least one dose of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (n=559) were evaluated for serological response to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 using the Abbott IgG II Quant assay with a seroconversion threshold of ≥ 50 AU/mL. The geometric mean titer (GMT) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and stratified by weeks (1–8, 8–16, 16–24, 24+ weeks) after each vaccine dose. We compared stratified GMTs with Mann–Whitney U tests using a significance level of 0.05. Result(s) Our cohort (n=559) comprised the following patient characteristics 82.8% were 18–65 years-old (n = 463), 53.1% were female (n =297), and 71.6% had Crohn's disease (n =400). IBD medications were classified in the following mutually exclusive groups No immunosuppressives 10.5% (n = 59), anti-TNF monotherapy 35.8% (n = 200), immunomodulatory monotherapy 2.1% (n =12 ), vedolizumab 11.8% (n =66 ), ustekinumab 20.4% (n =114 ), tofacitinib 1.2% (n =7 ), combination therapy 15.9% (n = 89), and prednisone 2.1% (n =12). For vaccine type, 85.6% and 82.3% had Pfizer for 3rd and 4th dose, respectively, while the remainder had Moderna. Seroconversion rates 1–8 weeks after 3rd and 4th dose were both 99.9%. Figure 1 compares GMTs with 95% CI by weeks after each vaccine dose. GMTs are highest 1–8 weeks after 2nd dose (4053 AU/mL;95% CI 3468, 4737 AU/mL;n=337), 3rd dose (12116 AU/mL;10413, 14098 AU/mL;n=256), and 4th dose (14337 AU/mL;10429, 19710 AU/mL;n=67). Subsequently, antibody levels decay from 1–8 weeks to 8–16 weeks (p<0.001) for 2nd dose (mean difference –2224 AU/mL), 3rd dose (mean difference –7526 AU/mL), and 4th dose (mean difference –9715 AU/mL). Compared to 16–24 weeks after 2nd dose, antibody levels 24+ weeks after were similar (GMTs 795 AU/mL vs. 1043 AU/mL, p=0.52). For third dose, antibody levels 8–16 weeks and 16–24 weeks after vaccination were similar (4590 AU/mL vs. 4073 AU/mL, p=0.73) along with 16–24 weeks compared to 24+ weeks after vaccination (4073 AU/mL vs. 5876 AU/mL, p=0.18). Image Conclusion(s) Within 1–8 weeks after each dose of vaccine, serological responses spikes with each subsequent dose yielding a higher GMT. While antibody levels decay 8–16 weeks after each dose, similar GMT levels beyond 16 weeks may indicate durability of antibody levels over a longer duration of time. Disclosure of Interest None Declared