{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,31]],"date-time":"2026-10-31T17:31:57Z","timestamp":1793467917350,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,16]],"date-time":"2023-06-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1686873600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100007397","name":"Univerzita Karlova v Praze","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100007397","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003243","name":"Ministerstvo Zdravotnictv\u00ed Cesk\u00e9 Republiky","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003243","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100016366","name":"V\u0161eobecn\u00e1 Fakultn\u00ed Nemocnice v Praze","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100016366","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100016366","name":"V\u0161eobecn\u00e1 Fakultn\u00ed Nemocnice v Praze","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100016366","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000780","name":"European Commission","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000780","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Rituximab (RTX) and ocrelizumab (OCR), B cell-depleting therapy targeting CD20 molecules, affect the humoral immune response after vaccination. How these therapies influence T-cell-mediated immune response against SARS-CoV-2 after immunization remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the humoral and cellular immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine in a cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), and myasthenia gravis (MG).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Patients with MS (83), NMOSD (19), or MG (7) undergoing RTX (n=47) or OCR (n=62) treatment were vaccinated twice with the mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine. Antibodies were quantified using the SARS-CoV-2 IgG chemiluminescence immunoassay, targeting the spike protein. SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses were quantified by interferon \u03b3 release assays (IGRA). The responses were evaluated at two different time points (4-8 weeks and 16-20 weeks following the 2nd dose of the vaccine). Immunocompetent vaccinated individuals (n=41) were included as controls.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Almost all immunocompetent controls developed antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 trimeric spike protein, but only 34.09% of the patients, without a COVID-19 history and undergoing anti-CD20 treatment (via RTX or OCR), seroconverted. This antibody response was higher in patients with intervals of longer than 3 weeks between vaccinations. The duration of therapy was significantly shorter in seroconverted patients (median 24 months), than in the non-seroconverted group. There was no correlation between circulating B cells and the levels of antibodies. Even patients with a low proportion of circulating CD19<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> B cells (&amp;lt;1%, 71 patients) had detectable SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody responses. SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell response measured by released interferon \u03b3 was detected in 94.39% of the patients, independently of a humoral immune response.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>The majority of MS, MG, and NMOSD patients developed a SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell response. The data suggest that vaccination can induce SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in a portion of anti-CD20 treated patients. The seroconversion rate was higher in OCR-treated patients compared to those on RTX. The response represented by levels of antibodies was better in individuals, with intervals of longer than 3 weeks between vaccinations.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2023.1149629","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,16]],"date-time":"2023-06-16T05:43:10Z","timestamp":1686894190000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Immunity following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in autoimmune neurological disorders treated with rituximab or 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