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. 2023 Feb 9;11(2):400.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines11020400.

Immune Responses to HBV Vaccine in People Living with HIV (PLWHs) Who Achieved Successful Treatment: A Prospective Cohort Study

Ling Xu  1   2   3 , Li Zhang  1 , Shuang Kang  1 , Xiaodi Li  1   2 , Lianfeng Lu  1   2 , Xiaosheng Liu  1   2 , Xiaojing Song  1   2 , Yanling Li  1   2 , Xiaoxia Li  1   2 , Wei Lyu  1 , Wei Cao  1 , Zhengyin Liu  1 , Taisheng Li  1   2   4
Affiliations

Immune Responses to HBV Vaccine in People Living with HIV (PLWHs) Who Achieved Successful Treatment: A Prospective Cohort Study

Ling Xu et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Understanding immune responses after HBV vaccination is important to prevent HBV infection in PLWH and to achieve successful treatment.

Methods: Thirty-two PLWHs with CD4+ cell count > 350 cells/µL and HIV RNA < 200 copies/mL were vaccinated with 20 µg of HBV vaccine at weeks 0, 4, and 24 in this prospective study. We measured total HIV DNA levels, HBsAb titers and HBsAg-specific T-cell responses during follow-up time.

Results: All patients achieved protective HBsAb titer after immunization. The magnitude of the IFN-r and TNF-a response to HBsAg was 22.0 (IQR: 6.5-65.0) and 106.50 (IQR: 58.5-203.0) spot-forming cells (SFC)/105 PBMC, respectively at week 0. The level of IFN-r secreted at weeks 12 and weeks 36 to 48 was comparable with that at week 0. However, IFN-r response was higher at weeks 12 than that at weeks 36 to 48 (p = 0.02). The level of TNF-a secreted at weeks 12 was higher than that at week 0 (p < 0.001). Total HIV DNA levels were 2.76 (IQR: 2.47-3.07), 2.77 (IQR: 2.50-3.09), 2.77 (IQR: 2.41-2.89) log10 copies/106 PBMCs at weeks 0, 12, 36 to 48, respectively. No correlation was observed between IFN-r and TNF-a levels and HBsAb titer as well as total HIV DNA levels after immunization.

Conclusion: Humoral immunity was satisfactory, but cellular immunity and decline in HIV reservoir were not optimal after HBV vaccine immunization in these patients.

Keywords: HBV vaccine; IFN-r; PLWH; TNF-a; total HIV DNA levels.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
HBsAb levels after primary vaccination. All patients achieved a protective HBsAb titer between weeks 36 and 48.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The magnitude of the IFN-r (A) and TNF-a (B) response to HBsAg presented with median and interquartile ranges. The level of IFN-r secreted at week 12 was higher than that at week 36, and the level of TNF-a secreted at week 12 was higher than that at week 0. *: p < 0.05.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The association between HBsAg-specific T cell responses and the HBsAb titer. The above figures describe the relationships between HBsAb and IFN-r at weeks 0 (A), 12 (B) and 36–48 (C) respectively. The following are the relationship between HBsAb and TNF-a at weeks 0 (D), 12 (E) and 36–48 (F).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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