Development of donor specific antibodies after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination: What do we know so far?

Abstract

Vaccination against Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) was pivotal to limit spread, morbidity and mortality. Our aim is to find out whether vaccines against COVID-19 lead to an immunological response stimulating the production of de novo donor specific antibodies (DSAs) or increase in mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of pre-existing DSAs in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). This study involved a detailed literature search through December 2nd, 2023 using PubMed as the primary database. The search strategy incorporated a combination of relevant Medical Subject Headings terms and keywords: "COVID-19", "SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination", "Kidney, Renal Transplant", and "Donor specific antibodies". The results from related studies were collated and analyzed. A total of 6 studies were identified, encompassing 460 KTRs vaccinated against COVID-19. Immunological responses were detected in 8 KTRs of which 5 had increased MFIs, 1 had de novo DSA, and 2 were categorized as either having de novo DSA or increased MFI. There were 48 KTRs with pre-existing DSAs prior to vaccination, but one study (Massa et al ) did not report whether pre-existing DSAs were associated with post vaccination outcomes. Of the remaining 5 studies, 35 KTRs with pre-existing DSAs were identified of which 7 KTRs (20%) developed de novo DSAs or increased MFIs. Overall, no immunological response was detected in 452 (98.3%) KTRs. Our study affirms prior reports that COVID-19 vaccination is safe for KTRs, especially if there are no pre-existing DSAs. However, if KTRs have pre-existing DSAs, then an increased immunological risk may be present. These findings need to be taken cautiously as they are based on a limited number of patients so further studies are still needed for confirmation.