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COVID ‐19 vaccine humoral response in frequent platelet donors with plateletpheresis‐associated lymphopenia
Author(s) -
Laumaea Annemarie Eare,
Lewin Antoine,
Chatterjee Debashree,
Marchitto Lorie,
Ding Shilei,
GendronLepage Gabrielle,
Goyette Guillaume,
Allard MarieÈve,
Simard Carl,
Tremblay Tony,
Perreault Josée,
Duerr Ralf,
Finzi Andrés,
Bazin Renée
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/trf.17037
Subject(s) - plateletpheresis , immunology , medicine , antibody , vaccination , platelet , immune system , apheresis
Background Plateletpheresis involves platelet separation and collection from whole blood while other blood cells are returned to the donor. Because platelets are replaced faster than red blood cells, as many as 24 donations can be done annually. However, some frequent apheresis platelet donors (>20 donations annually) display severe plateletpheresis‐associated lymphopenia; in particular, CD4 + T but not B cell numbers are decreased. COVID‐19 vaccination thereby provides a model to assess whether lymphopenic platelet donors present compromised humoral immune responses. Study Design and Methods We assessed vaccine responses following 2 doses of COVID‐19 vaccination in a cohort of 43 plateletpheresis donors with a range of pre‐vaccination CD4 + T cell counts (76–1537 cells/μl). In addition to baseline T cell measurements, antibody binding assays to full‐length Spike and the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) were performed pre‐ and post‐vaccination. Furthermore, pseudo‐particle neutralization and antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity assays were conducted to measure antibody functionality. Results Participants were stratified into two groups: <400 CD4/μl ( n = 27) and ≥ 400 CD4/μl ( n = 16). Following the first dose, 79% seroconverted within the <400 CD4/μl group compared to 87% in the ≥400 CD4/μl group; all donors were seropositive post‐second dose with significant increases in antibody levels. Importantly differences in CD4 + T cell levels minimally impacted neutralization, Spike recognition, and IgG Fc‐mediated effector functions. Discussion Overall, our results indicate that lymphopenic plateletpheresis donors do not exhibit significant immune dysfunction; they have retained the T and B cell functionality necessary for potent antibody responses after vaccination.