SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibody titers 6 months after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination among patients undergoing hemodialysis in Japan

Background

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination is shown to prevent severe illness and death in hemodialysis (HD) patients, but the immune response to vaccines is reduced in this population. This study compared SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibody titers between HD patients and healthy controls in Japan for up to 6 months following vaccination.

Methods

A multi-institutional retrospective study at five clinics in Japan was conducted using 412 HD patients and 156 healthy controls who received two doses of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) mRNA vaccine. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein S1 IgG antibody titers were measured at 1, 3, and 6 months after the second dose. The attenuation speed was calculated as slope (i.e., –β) using a linear mixed-effects model toward the log-transformed antibody titers.

Results

The HD group had significantly lower month 1 antibody titers (Ab-titer-1) than the controls, and these remained lower through month 6 (95% CI: 2617.1 (1296.7, 5240.8) vs. 7285.4 (4403.9, 11,000.0) AU/mL at Ab-titer-1, and 353.4 (178.4, 656.3) vs. 812.0 (498.3, 1342.7) AU/mL at Ab-titer-6 (p?<?0.001, respectively)). Lower log Ab-titer-1 levels in the HD group were significantly associated with a lower log Ab-titer–6 (0.90 [0.83, 0.97], p?<?0.001). The –β values in the HD patients and healthy controls were –4.7?±?1.1 and –4.7?±?1.4 (year^?1), respectively.

Conclusion

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibody titers were significantly lower in HD patients than in healthy controls at 1 (peak) and 6 months after the second vaccination. Low peak antibody titers contributed to low 6-month antibody titers.

     

Incidence of infantile spinal muscular atrophy on Shikoku Island of Japan

Background

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by homozygous mutations in the SMN1 gene. SMA has long been known to be the most common genetic cause of infant mortality. However, there have been no reports on the epidemiology of infantile SMA (types 1 and 2) based on genetic testing in Japan. In this study, we estimated the incidence of infantile SMA on Shikoku Island, which is a main island of Japan and consists of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Tokushima and Kochi.