Six patients with low-positive antibody levels following standard vaccination achieved high-positive levels after dose 3<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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TUESDAY, June 15, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A third dose of COVID-19 vaccine may boost the antibody response in some solid organ transplant recipients, according to a research letter published online June 15 in the Annals of Internal Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n William A. Werbel, M.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues describe antibody responses and vaccine reactions among 30 solid organ transplant recipients who had a suboptimal response to standard vaccination and received a third vaccine dose between March 20 and May 10, 2021.<\/p>\n The researchers found that at a median nine days before receiving their third dose of vaccine, 24 of the patients had negative antibody levels for anti-spike antibodies and six patients had low-positive antibody levels. Patients received the third vaccine dose at a median 67 days after dose 2: 15, nine, and six received the Ad26.COV2.S, mRNA-1273, and BNT162b2 vaccines, respectively. Antibody testing was repeated a median of 14 days after dose 3 of the vaccine. All six patients with low-positive antibody levels before dose 3 had high-positive levels after dose 3. Of the 24 patients with negative antibody levels before dose 3, six, two, and 16 had high-positive antibody levels, low-positive antibody levels, and remained negative, respectively.<\/p>\n “These observations support the use of clinical trials to determine whether booster doses to prevent COVID-19 in transplant patients can be incorporated into clinical practice, as they have been for hepatitis B and influenza vaccination,” the authors write.<\/p>\n One author disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n