Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine in pediatric post‐kidney transplantation

Abstract

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infections and the resulting disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), have spread to millions of persons worldwide. Many vaccines have been developed; however, their efficacy in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients is yet to be determined. Methods This is a prospective observational, non‐interventional single‐center study on the safety and efficacy of a COVID‐19 vaccine (BNT162b2) in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate immunogenicity according to SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific neutralizing antibody titer after two vaccine doses. The secondary aims were to investigate the safety of the vaccines, solicited local and systemic adverse reactions, incidence of COVID‐19 post‐vaccination, and effects on transplant graft function. Baseline investigations were conducted on pediatric renal transplant recipients, and recruited participants were advised to have the Comirnaty® mRNA vaccine according to protocol. Results A total of 48 patients (male, n = 31, 64.6%; female, n = 17, 35.4%), median age 14 [12–16] years were included, and all received two doses of the vaccine. The vaccine had a favorable safety and side‐effect profile. The S‐antibody titer of all patients ranged between .4 and 2,500 U/ml and was > 50 U/ml in 89% of the patients. No difference in the measured antibody immune response was noted between infected and uninfected children. No major side effects were reported. Conclusion The vaccine had a favorable safety profile in 12‐ to 15‐year‐old kidney transplant recipients, producing a greater measured antibody response than that in older transplant recipients.