Humoral Immune Response to Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccination at the 3rd Month among People Living with HIV

BACKGROUND: Research on the immune response to inactivated COVID-19 vaccination among people living with HIV (PLWH) is limited, especially among those with low CD4+ T lymphocyte (CD4 cell) count. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the humoral immune response to inactivated COVID-19 vaccination among PLWH compared to HIV negative controls (HNC) and to determine the impact of CD4 cell count on vaccine response among PLWH. METHODS: The neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) and the specific IgM and IgG-binding antibody responses to the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine at the third month after the second dose of inactivated COVID-19 vaccination were measured among 138 PLWH and 35 HNC. Multivariable logistic regression and multiple linear regression models were conducted to identify factors associated with the seroconversion rate of antibodies and the magnitude of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers, respectively. RESULTS: At the end of the third month after two doses of vaccination, the seroconversion rates of IgG were comparable between PLWH (8.7%; 95%CI, 3.9–13.5%) and HNC (11.4%; 95%CI, 0.3–22.5%), respectively. The median titers and seroconversion rate of nAbs among PLWH were 0.57 (IQR: 0.30–1.11) log(10) BAU/mL and 29.0% (95%CI: 21.3–36.8%), respectively, both lower than those in HNC (P<0.05). After adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and CD4 cell count, the titers and seroconversion rate of nAbs were comparable between PLWH and HNC (P>0.05). Multivariable regression analyses showed that CD4 cell count<200 /μL was independently associated with lower titers and seroconversion rate of nAbs among PLWH (P<0.05). A positive correlation was observed between the CD4 cell count and nAbs titers in PLWH (Spearman’sρ=0.25, P=0.034). CONCLUSION: Our study concluded that the immune response to inactivated COVID-19 vaccination among PLWH was independently associated with CD4 cell count, PLWH with lower CD4 cell count showed a weaker humoral immune response, especially those with CD4 cell count<200 /μL. This finding suggests that expanding COVID-19 vaccination coverage among PLWH is impendency. In addition, aggressive ART should be carried out for PLWH, especially for those with low CD4 cell count, to improve the immune response to vaccines.