Matched Versus Mixed COVID-19 Vaccinations in Korean Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: An Observational Study

Abstract

Background: Solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) are vulnerable to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and exhibit poor antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines. Herein, we compared the humoral immunogenicity of a mixed vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 [ChAd]/BNT162b2 [BNT]) with that of conventional matched vaccines (mRNA, adenoviral vector [AdV-Vec]) in SOTRs.

Methods: Serum samples were collected at Severance Hospital (Seoul, Korea) between September and October 2021 (14 d-5 mo after COVID-19 vaccination; V2). The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antispike IgG titer (BAU/mL; ELISA) and neutralization inhibition (percentage; neutralization assay) were compared between vaccination groups overall and stratified by V2 (poststudy vaccination visit) timing.

Results: Of the 464 participants, 143 (31%) received mRNA vaccines, 170 (37%) received AdV-Vec vaccines, and 151 (33%) received mixed vaccines (all ChAd/BNT). The geometric mean titer for the ChAd/BNT group was 3.2-fold higher than that of the AdV-Vec group (geometric mean ratio, 3.2; confidence interval, 1.9-5.4) but lower than that of the mRNA group (geometric mean ratio, 0.4; confidence interval, 0.2-0.7). Neutralization inhibition in the ChAd/BNT group was 32%, which was higher than that in the AdV-Vec group (21%; P < 0.001) but lower than that in the mRNA group (55%; P = 0.02). There was no difference in geometric mean titer by V2 timing (ChAd/BNT, 45 versus 31, days 14-60; mRNA, 28 versus 15, days 61-150).

Conclusions: The ChAd/BNT group showed higher humoral immunogenicity than the AdV-Vec group, with similar immunogenicity to the mRNA vaccine. Nevertheless, immunogenicity following the primary vaccination series was poor in all vaccine groups, supporting the justification for booster vaccination in SOTRs.