The immunogenicity of the novel mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in immunocompromised lung transplant recipients is still unknown. We compared the antibody response after the first and second doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) with the response after natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in lung transplant recipients. None of the vaccinees tested after two doses of the mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, while 85% patients presented an antibody response after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The absence of antibody response to vaccination led us to investigate the cellular response in a subset of patients. We detected SARS-CoV-2 specific T-cells in 4 out of 12 tested patients. Some patients therefore might have clinical benefit from the vaccine despite an absent antibody response. These results contrast with the excellent antibody response in immunocompetent individuals observed in mRNA BNT162b2 trials and indicate an urgent need to identify the best vaccine type and scheme for immunocompromised transplanted patients.

免疫原性在免疫功能低下的肺移植受者中使用新型 mRNA COVID-19 疫苗的情况仍然未知。我们将第一剂和第二剂 BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 疫苗 (Pfizer-BioNTech) 后的抗体反应与肺移植受者自然感染 SARS-CoV-2 后的反应进行了比较。在接种两剂 mRNA BNT162b2 疫苗后，所有受检者均未产生抗 SARS-CoV-2 IgG，而 85% 的患者在感染 SARS-CoV-2 后出现抗体反应。对疫苗接种没有抗体反应导致我们研究了一部分患者的细胞反应。我们在 12 名接受测试的患者中有 4 名检测到 SARS-CoV-2 特异性 T 细胞。因此，尽管没有抗体反应，一些患者可能会从疫苗中获得临床益处。