Nina Cosdon

 vertically (from their mothers) has not been thoroughly evaluated. One study, presented at this week’s 40th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (

 neutralizing antibody titers against the Delta and Omicron variants in children with vertically transmitted HIV infection. The children received the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) COVID-19 vaccine and were monitored through the Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit at the Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan, Italy.

The primary study cohort included 22 children with vertically transmitted HIV infection. The children were simultaneously undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Neutralizing antibody titers were assessed at 1 day before vaccination (T0), 25 days after the second vaccine dose (T1), and 6 months after the second dose (T2). After 6 months, antibody titers were compared to an age-matched cohort of 20 Pfizer-vaccinated, HIV-negative children.

Among the children living with HIV, the percentage of waning neutralizing antibody titers from T1 to T2 was 87.5% during Omicron and 82% during Delta. Notably, Delta displayed a moderate immune escape; Omicron titers were 456 during T1 while Delta titers were 144.

The pediatric HIV patients who had a previous COVID-19 infection had higher levels of neutralizing antibody titers during T1 and T2, and their titers dropped less than those with no COVID-19 infection history. There was no significant difference between the pediatric cohorts with and without vertically transmitted HIV.

The investigators concluded that Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccination had a high immunogenicity profile for children living with HIV. They noted that neutralizing antibody titers are considered representative of COVID-19 protection, concluding by recommending a booster vaccine to maintain high levels of protection.

This study, “Humoral Immune Response in SARS-CoV-2 Vaccinated HIV-Vertically Transmitted Patients,” was presented during the

40th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID)

, held online and in Athens, Greece from May 9-13, 2022.

Originally published on our sister brand, 

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Children living with HIV had a similar immune response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccination as children without HIV.



COVID-19 vaccine immune response in children with HIV

Pregnant women and their newborns are at increased risk of severe or fatal 

 disease. To prevent this, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 

 expecting mothers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. There has been a great deal of research establishing that 

 is safe and effective for pregnant women and their unborn babies.

However, there has not been extensive research on how COVID-19 vaccination during different gestational periods affects autoimmune response. One study, presented during this week’s 40th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (

), analyzed whether there was a correlation between gestational age at vaccination and antibody titer at birth.

The investigators recruited 84 new mothers at the Niguarda Hospital of Milan, Italy from May-November 2021. While pregnant, the women had received either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Of the 84 women, 62 received 2 vaccine doses, while 22 just received 1 dose.

To evaluate serological IgG antibodies anti-S1 RBD, the investigators collected blood samples from the mothers and babies. They also gathered information about the type and timing of COVID-19 vaccination.

Among women who received 1 vaccine dose, the geometric mean titer (GMT) of anti-S IgG was 571.8 (7.4) AU/ml for the mothers and 329.2 (7.6) AU/ml for their babies. Of the mothers who received 2 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, GMT was 5480.5 AU/ml for mothers and 6271.7 AU/ml for their babies.

Among the mothers who received 2 vaccine doses, the higher the gestational age at last vaccination, the higher the serological titers of the infants at birth.

The investigators concluded that mothers who received 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine passed antibody titer equal to or higher than their own to their babies.

These results imply that expecting mothers wishing to protect their newborns against COVID-19 infection may want to consider getting vaccinated later in their pregnancy.

This study, “Antibody Response Evaluation in SARS-CoV-2 Immunized Mothers and Babies at Birth,” was presented during the 

The higher the gestational age when pregnant women received a COVID-19 vaccine, the higher the serological titers at birth.

Nina Cosdon

Articles

COVID-19 vaccine immune response in children with HIV

Gestational age at COVID-19 vaccination affects baby’s antibodies