학술논문
SARS-CoV-2 vaccination may mitigate dysregulation of IL-1/IL-18 and gastrointestinal symptoms of the post-COVID-19 condition
Document Type
article
Author
Claudia Fischer; Edith Willscher; Lisa Paschold; Cornelia Gottschick; Bianca Klee; Sophie Diexer; Lidia Bosurgi; Jochen Dutzmann; Daniel Sedding; Thomas Frese; Matthias Girndt; Jessica I. Hoell; Michael Gekle; Marylyn M. Addo; Julian Schulze zur Wiesch; Rafael Mikolajczyk; Mascha Binder; Christoph Schultheiß
Source
npj Vaccines, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2024)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
2059-0105
Abstract
Abstract The rapid development of safe and effective vaccines helped to prevent severe disease courses after SARS-CoV-2 infection and to mitigate the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is evidence that vaccination may reduce the risk of developing post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC), this effect may depend on the viral variant. Therapeutic effects of post-infection vaccination have been discussed but the data for individuals with PCC remains inconclusive. In addition, extremely rare side effects after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination may resemble the heterogeneous PCC phenotype. Here, we analyze the plasma levels of 25 cytokines and SARS-CoV-2 directed antibodies in 540 individuals with or without PCC relative to one or two mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccinations as well as in 20 uninfected individuals one month after their initial mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination. While none of the SARS-CoV-2 naïve individuals reported any persisting sequelae or exhibited PCC-like dysregulation of plasma cytokines, we detected lower levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in patients with ongoing PCC who received one or two vaccinations at a median of six months after infection as compared to unvaccinated PCC patients. This reduction correlated with less frequent reporting of persisting gastrointestinal symptoms. These data suggest that post-infection vaccination in patients with PCC might be beneficial in a subgroup of individuals displaying gastrointestinal symptoms.