Significant humoral response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in kidney transplant recipients with prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2. The COViNEPH Project

COVID -19 vaccination in kidney transplant recipients 1 the studies in people with prior SARS -CoV -2 infection.The immune memory in convalescents may facilitate rapid and strong anamnestic antibody responses following re -exposure to the virus or vaccination.Individuals from the general population previously infected with SARS -CoV -2 developed an antibody response after a single vaccine dose that was comparable or even stronger to that seen after the vaccination course in individuals without prior infections.10 To extend this knowledge, we conducted a study in KTRs and immunocompetent patients without kidney disease to compare the humoral response after BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty, BioNTech/ Pfizer) in COVID -19 convalescents and individuals without a history of COVID -19.Patients and methods Patient population The study population comprised 149 KTRs (87 men [58.4%]) at a median (interquartile range [IQR]) age of 54 (43-63) years who were under the care of the University Clinical Center in Gdańsk, Poland, and 30 controls without chronic kidney disease (20 men [66.7%]) at a median (IQR) age of 49 (45-69) years, treated in the University Center of Maritime and Tropical Medicine in Gdynia, Poland.