A recent study published in Frontiers in Immunology examines the antibody response to natural infection or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
Study: Despite delayed kinetics, people living with HIV achieve equivalent antibody function after SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination. Image Credit: Oselote / Shutterstock.com
Introduction
Current estimates indicate that two of every three people living with HIV (PLWH) reside in sub-Saharan Africa, many of whom are not receiving effective treatments. The risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in PLWH is over three-fold higher than others, with these individuals also at an increased risk of developing severe or fatal COVID-19.
Chronic infection with HIV, because of the impaired immune function in these individuals, could leading to the mutation of SARS-CoV-2 and the emergence of new variants of concern (VOC). This is another major concern among public health scientists who fear that these patients could serve as reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2.
Earlier research has shown reduced binding and neutralizing antibody responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection in PLWH with HIV in their bloodstream. In fact, severe COVID-19 induces higher antibody responses in PLWH, similar to that observed in people without HIV (PWOH). However, this response is lower among those with mild disease not requiring hospitalization.
Nucleic acid and adenovirus vector COVID-19 vaccines produce similar binding and neutralizing antibody responses