Peer-reviewed article
T-cell responses to primary SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in Down syndrome - From childhood to adulthood.
Lobke C M Hensen, Bianca M M Streng, Femke van Wijk, Stefan Nierkens, Joanne G Wildenbeest et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how children and adults with Down syndrome respond to COVID-19 vaccination by measuring T-cell responses, which are part of the immune system. Children aged 5-11 years showed weaker T-cell responses compared to adolescents and adults, even though all groups produced similar levels of interferon-gamma. The researchers suggest that younger children with Down syndrome may need booster doses or higher vaccine doses to achieve better protection.
Key points
- Children with Down syndrome aged 5-11 years showed significantly lower re-activation of CD4+ T cells compared with adolescents aged 12-17 years
- No significant difference was found in CD4+ T-cell re-activation between adolescents and adults
- Interferon-gamma production was similar across all age groups
- Reduced vaccine dosing in younger children may be associated with diminished T-cell responses
- Study included 40 participants for T-cell abundance measurement and 55 for interferon-gamma production across ages 3-74 years
Limitations
The document does not provide information about the countries where the study was conducted or the complete demographic breakdown of participants. It is unclear whether the findings apply to vaccine responses in other health conditions or to other vaccine types.
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic disorder worldwide and associated with high morbidity and mortality rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. For safety reasons, SARS-CoV-2 vaccine schedules and dosages were age-dependent, with children <12 years (y) receiving a lower dose than adolescents and adults. While we previously reported age-dependent antibody responses after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in children with DS, cellular vaccine responses in this population remain insufficiently characterized. We evaluated vaccine-induced T-cell responses in children with DS following primary mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. We measured SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell abundance (N = 40) and their interferon-gamma (IFNγ) production (N = 55) after spike antigen re-stimulation in participants aged 3-74 y. We found no significant difference in the re-activation of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cells between adolescents (12-17 y) and adults. Children aged 5-11 y exhibited significantly lower re-activation of CD4+ T cells compared with adolescents. IFNγ production was similar across all age groups. Besides previously reported age-dependent antibody responses, these findings suggest that reduced dosing may also be associated with diminished T-cell re-activation in children with DS. Therefore, these children aged 5-11 y may benefit from receiving a booster or vaccine doses similar to those of older age groups to ensure optimal immunity and protection.Clinical trial registration: NCT05145348.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Primary mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination with age-dependent dosing (lower dose for children <12 years)
- Population
- Children, adolescents and adults with Down syndrome aged 3-74 years (N=55 for T-cell measurements)
Key finding
Children aged 5-11 years exhibited significantly lower re-activation of CD4+ T cells compared with adolescents aged 12-17 years