Essential Site Maintenance: Authorea-powered sites will be updated circa 15:00-17:00 Eastern on Tuesday 5 November.
There should be no interruption to normal services, but please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any issues.

loading page

IL-2-mediated CD4 T-cell activation correlates highly with effective serological and T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in people living with HIV (PLWH)
  • +15
  • Samir Kumar-Singh,
  • Akshita Gupta,
  • Elda Righi,
  • Angelina Konnova,
  • Concetta Sciammarella,
  • Gianluca Spiteri,
  • Vincent Van Averbeke,
  • Matilda Berkell,
  • * Hotterbeekx,
  • Assunta Sartor,
  • Massimo Mirandola,
  • Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar,
  • Anna Maria Azzini,
  • Diletta Pezzani,
  • Maria Grazia Lourdes Monaco,
  • Guido Van Ham,
  • Stefano Porru,
  • Evelina Tacconelli
Samir Kumar-Singh
Universiteit Antwerpen Laboratorium voor Celbiologie en Histologie

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Akshita Gupta
Universiteit Antwerpen Laboratorium voor Celbiologie en Histologie
Author Profile
Elda Righi
Universita degli Studi di Verona Dipartimento di Diagnostica e Sanita Pubblica
Author Profile
Angelina Konnova
Universiteit Antwerpen Laboratorium voor Celbiologie en Histologie
Author Profile
Concetta Sciammarella
Universita degli Studi di Verona Dipartimento di Diagnostica e Sanita Pubblica
Author Profile
Gianluca Spiteri
Universita degli Studi di Verona Dipartimento di Diagnostica e Sanita Pubblica
Author Profile
Vincent Van Averbeke
Universiteit Antwerpen Laboratorium voor Celbiologie en Histologie
Author Profile
Matilda Berkell
Universiteit Antwerpen Laboratorium voor Celbiologie en Histologie
Author Profile
* Hotterbeekx
Universiteit Antwerpen Laboratorium voor Celbiologie en Histologie
Author Profile
Assunta Sartor
Universita degli Studi di Udine Dipartimento di Scienze giuridiche
Author Profile
Massimo Mirandola
Universita degli Studi di Verona Dipartimento di Diagnostica e Sanita Pubblica
Author Profile
Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar
Universiteit Antwerpen Laboratory for Microbiology Parasitology and Hygiene
Author Profile
Anna Maria Azzini
Universita degli Studi di Verona Dipartimento di Diagnostica e Sanita Pubblica
Author Profile
Diletta Pezzani
Universita degli Studi di Verona Dipartimento di Diagnostica e Sanita Pubblica
Author Profile
Maria Grazia Lourdes Monaco
Universita degli Studi di Verona Dipartimento di Diagnostica e Sanita Pubblica
Author Profile
Guido Van Ham
Universiteit Antwerpen Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute
Author Profile
Stefano Porru
Universita degli Studi di Verona Dipartimento di Diagnostica e Sanita Pubblica
Author Profile
Evelina Tacconelli
Universita degli Studi di Verona Dipartimento di Diagnostica e Sanita Pubblica
Author Profile

Abstract

People living with HIV (PLWH) despite having appreciable depletion of CD4 + T-cell show a good SARS-CoV-2 vaccination response. The underlying mechanism(s) are currently not understood. We studied serological and polyfunctional T-cell responses in PLWH receiving anti-retroviral therapy stratified on CD4 + counts as PLWH-high (CD4 ≥500 cells/μL) and PLWH-low (<500 cells/μL). Responses were assessed longitudinally before the first vaccination (T0), 1-month after the first dose (T1), and 3-months (T2), and 6-months (T3) after the second dose. Expectedly, both PLWH-high and -low groups developed similar serological responses after T2, which were also non-significantly different to age and vaccination-matched HIV-negative controls at T3. The IgG titers were also protective showing a good correlation with ACE2-neutralizations (R=0.628, P=0.005). While no difference at T3 was observed between PLWH and controls in activated CD4 +CD154 + and CD4 + memory T-cells, spike-specific CD4 + polyfunctional cytokine expression analysis showed that PLWH preferentially express IL-2 (P<0.001) and controls, IFN-γ (P=0.017). CD4 + T-cell counts negatively correlated with IL-2-expressing CD4 + T-cells including CD4 + memory T-cells (Spearman ρ: ­ -0.85 and -0.80, respectively; P<0.001). Our results suggest that the durable serological and CD4 + T-cell responses developing in vaccinated PLWH are associated with IL-2-mediated CD4 + T-cell activation that likely compensates for CD4 + T-cell depletion in PLWH.
04 Mar 2024Submitted to Journal of Medical Virology
04 Mar 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
10 Jun 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Major
06 Jul 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
07 Jul 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
09 Jul 2024Editorial Decision: Accept