Long-term humoral and cellular responses elicited by Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) vaccine in hemodialysis patients versus non-renal subjects: a prospective cohort study

Abstract

Abstract Background we aimed to assess long-term immunogenicity of the recombinant adenovirus 26 and 5 vector-based COVID-19 vaccine Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V, developed by N.F. Gamaleya National Research Centre, Russia) in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis compared to healthy subjects. Methods a prospective cohort study included patients treated with maintenance hemodialysis (n = 23) and healthy volunteers (n = 28). The levels of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 specific IgG as well as specific T-cell responses were quantified in all participants at two time points: 1 and 6 months after complete vaccination. All participates were adults, had been vaccinated twice with Gam-COVID-Vac and had no prior history of confirmed COVID-19. Results In both groups, IgG levels decreased from month 1 to 6, however, antibodies did not decline more rapidly in the hemodialysis group (analysis of variance p = 0.7214 for the “time × group” interaction, non-adjusted model). At the end of the study, 48% of non-hemodialysis and 67% of hemodialysis participants showed T-cell positivity. T-spot counts dropped over time in non-hemodialysis controls, but not in hemodialysis subjects (p = 0.008 and p = 0.18, respectively). Conclusions Patients receiving hemodialysis maintain significant long-term humoral response after Gam-COVID-Vac vaccination, which is comparable to that in subjects with normal kidney function. Cellular response turned up to be more sustained over time in hemodialysis group.