Preprint Epublish
PubMed: 37873490 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.08.23296718
Effects of COVID-19 mRNA vaccination on HIV viremia and reservoir size.
medRxiv
Authors: Maggie C Duncan, F Harrison Omondi, Natalie N Kinloch, Hope R Lapointe, Sarah Speckmaier, Nadia Moran-Garcia, Tanya Lawson, Mari L DeMarco, Janet Simons, Daniel T Holmes, Christopher F Lowe, Nic Bacani, Paul Sereda, Rolando Barrios, Marianne Harris, Marc G Romney, Julio S G Montaner, Chanson J Brumme, Mark A Brockman, Zabrina L Brumme
Affiliations
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, Canada.
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
- Division of Medical Microbiology and Virology, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada.
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, Canada.
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
- Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
Abstract
Objective
The immunogenic nature of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines led to some initial concern that these could stimulate the HIV reservoir. We analyzed changes in plasma HIV loads (pVL) and reservoir size following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in 62 people with HIV (PWH) receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), and analyzed province-wide trends in pVL before and after the mass vaccination campaign.
Design
Longitudinal observational cohort and province-wide analysis.
Methods
62 participants were sampled pre-vaccination, and one month after their first and second COVID-19 immunizations. Vaccine-induced anti-SARS-CoV-2-Spike antibodies in serum were measured using the Roche Elecsys Anti-S assay. HIV reservoirs were quantified using the Intact Proviral DNA Assay; pVL were measured using the cobas 6800 (LLOQ:20 copies/mL). The province-wide analysis included all 290,401 pVL performed in British Columbia, Canada between 2012-2022.
Results
Pre-vaccination, the median intact reservoir size was 77 (IQR:20-204) HIV copies/million CD4+ T-cells, compared to 74 (IQR:27-212) and 65 (IQR:22-174) post-first and -second dose, respectively (all comparisons p>0.07). Pre-vaccination, 82% of participants had pVL<20 copies/mL (max:110 copies/mL), compared to 79% post-first dose (max:183 copies/mL) and 85% post-second dose (max:79 copies/mL) (p>0.4). The magnitude of the vaccine-elicited anti-SARS-CoV-2-Spike antibody response did not correlate with changes in reservoir size nor detectable pVL frequency (p>0.6). We found no evidence linking the COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign to population-level increases in detectable pVL frequency among all PWH in the province, nor among those who maintained pVL suppression on ART.
Conclusion
We found no evidence that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines induced changes in HIV reservoir size nor plasma viremia.
MeSH
Vaccines, Immunization Programs, Rna, Messenger, Vaccination, Hiv, Covid-19, Viremia, Mass Vaccination, Plasma