The antibody response to COVID-19 among kidney transplant recipients who
had PCR confirmed infection
Abstract
Introduction Data on antibody response following COVID-19 in kidney
transplant recipients is scarce. We performed a cross-sectional study to
investigate antibody response to COVID-19 among kidney transplant
recipients. Design We recruited 46 kidney transplant recipients with
RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 and 45 recipients without COVID-19 history. We
also constructed two control groups (COVID-19 positive and negative)
from a historical cohort of health care workers. We used age and
sex-based propensity score matching to select eligible subjects to
control groups. We measured SARS-Cov-2 IgG levels quantitatively using
the Abbott ARCHITECT system. An antibody level above 1.4 S/C defined
positivity. Results Transplant recipients with COVID-19 had a higher
BMI, and COVID-19 history in a household member was more common than
that of the transplant recipient without COVID-19. IgG seropositivity
rate (69.6% vs 78.3%, p=0.238) and median IgG level (3.28 [IQR
0.80-5.85] vs 4.59 [1.61-6.06], p=0.499) were similar in COVID-19
positive transplant recipients and controls. There was a trend toward
lower antibody levels in kidney transplant recipients associated with a
longer duration between RT-PCR and antibody testing (r=-0.532,
p<0.001). Conclusion At the early post-COVID-19 period,
transplant recipients have an antibody response that is similar to
controls. However, antibody levels and associated immunity should be
closely observed with longer follow-up durations.