Impaired B Cell Recall Memory and Reduced Antibody Avidity but Robust T Cell Response in CVID Patients After COVID-19 Vaccination.

Purpose: Humoral and cellular immune responses were described after COVID-19 vaccination in patients with common variable immunodeficiency disorder (CVID). This study aimed to investigate SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody quality and memory function of B cell immunity as well as T cell responses after COVID-19 vaccination in seroresponding and non-responding CVID patients.
Methods: We evaluated antibody avidity and applied a memory B cell ELSPOT assay for functional B cell recall memory response to SARS-CoV-2 after COVID-19 vaccination in CVID seroresponders. We comparatively analyzed SARS-CoV-2 spike reactive polyfunctional T cell response and reactive peripheral follicular T helper cells (pT _FH ) by flow cytometry in seroresponding and non-seroresponding CVID patients. All CVID patients had previously failed to mount a humoral response to pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.
Results: SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody avidity of seroresponding CVID patients was significantly lower than in healthy controls. Only 30% of seroresponding CVID patients showed a minimal memory B cell recall response in ELISPOT assay. One hundred percent of CVID seroresponders and 83% of non-seroresponders had a detectable polyfunctional T cell response. Induction of antigen-specific CD4 ⁺ CD154 ⁺ CD137 ⁺ CXCR5 ⁺ pT _FH cells by the COVID-19 vaccine was higher in CVID seroresponder than in non-seroresponder. Levels of pT _FH did not correlate with antibody response or avidity.
Conclusion: Reduced avidity and significantly impaired recall memory formation after COVID-19 vaccination in seroresponding CVID patients stress the importance of a more differentiated analysis of humoral immune response in CVID patients. Our observations challenge the clinical implications that follow the binary categorization into seroresponder and non-seroresponder.
(© 2023. The Author(s).)