The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2021 Nov 5;jiab542. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiab542
In order to compare T-cell immunity associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination in solid organ transplant recipients, T-cell responses were measured in 50 organ recipients with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, and compared with 55 organ recipient recipients who had been vaccinated..
Most of the organ recipients with prior Covid had Covid-specific CD4 + T-cell responses against the spike, nucleocapsid (NP) and membrane proteins, and somewhat less CD8 + T-cell responses.
The vaccinated organ recipients, on the other hand, mounted significantly less S-specific polyfunctional CD4 + T-cells after two doses.
CONCLUSION: Of patients receiving solid organ transplants, those who had natural immunity had better, more robust T-cell responses compared to vaccinated organ transplant recipients.
