Clinical characteristics and immunogenicity after Omicron breakthrough infection in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection: A longitudinal observational study

Abstract

AbstractThe clinical and immunological features after breakthrough infection (BTI) during Omicron wave in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection (CHB) are still unclear. A total of 101 patients with CHB from our previous coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccination cohort (NCT05007665), were continued to be followed up at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University after BTI, while an additional 39 healthcare workers after BTI were recruited as healthy controls (HCs). Clinical data were collected using questionnaire survey and electronic medical record. Blood samples were used to determine the antibody responses, as well as B and T cell responses. After BTI, the clinical symptoms of COVID‐19 were mild to moderate in patients with CHB, with a median duration of 5 days. Compared with HCs, patients with CHB were more susceptible to develop moderate COVID‐19. The liver function was not significantly damaged, and HBV‐DNA was not activated in patients with CHB after BTI. Patients with CHB could elicit robust antibody responses after BTI (NAbs 13.0‐fold, BA.5 IgG: 24.2‐fold, respectively), which was also significantly higher than that in every period after vaccination (all p < 0.001), and compared to that in HCs after BTI. The CD4+, cTfh, and CD8+ T cell responses were also augmented in patients with CHB after BTI, while exhibiting comparability to those observed in HCs. In patients with CHB after BTI, the immune imprint was observed in B cell responses, rather than in T cell responses. In conclusion, Omicron breakthrough infection induced mild to moderate COVID‐19 symptoms in patients with CHB, without exacerbating the progress of liver diseases. Meanwhile, BTI demonstrated the ability to induce robust antibody and T cell responses in patients with CHB, which was comparable to those observed in HCs.