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Dataset - Immunization and SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Seroprevalence in a Country with High Vaccination Coverage: Lessons from Chile

2022 , AGUILERA SANHUEZA, XIMENA PAZ , GONZALEZ WIEDMAIER, CLAUDIA MARTA , APABLAZA SALINAS, MAURICIO IVÁN , RUBILAR RAMIREZ, PAOLA ANDREA , CORTES SALINAS, LINA JIMENA

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A Third Dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Improves Immune Response in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

2023 , POLI HARLOWE, MARIA CECILIA BERTA , VIAL COX, MARIA CECILIA , REY JURADO, EMMA , Natalia González , CORTES SALINAS, LINA JIMENA , HORMAZABAL CASTILLO, JUAN PATRICIO , Carolina Ramírez-Riffo , Javiera de la Cruz , Camilo Ulloa

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients have an increased risk of morbidity and mortality following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Vaccination in these patients is prioritized, and monitoring of the immune response is paramount to define further vaccination strategies. This prospective study included a cohort of 100 adult CKD patients: 48 with kidney transplant (KT) and 52 on hemodialysis without prior COVID-19. The patients were assessed for humoral and cellular immune responses after four months of an anti-SARS-CoV-2 primary two-dose vaccination scheme (CoronaVac or BNT162b2) and one month after a booster third dose of BNT162b2 vaccine. We identified poor cellular and humoral immune responses in the CKD patients after a primary vaccination scheme, and these responses were improved by a booster. Robust polyfunctional CD4+ T cell responses were observed in the KT patients after a booster, and this could be attributed to a higher proportion of the patients having been vaccinated with homologous BNT162b2 schemes. However, even after the booster, the KT patients exhibited lower neutralizing antibodies, attributable to specific immunosuppressive treatments. Four patients suffered severe COVID-19 despite three-dose vaccination, and all had low polyfunctional T-cell responses, underscoring the importance of this functional subset in viral protection. In conclusion, a booster dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine in CKD patients improves the impaired humoral and cellular immune responses observed after a primary vaccination scheme.

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SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies in Chile after a Vaccination Campaign with Five Different Schemes

2022 , AGUILERA SANHUEZA, XIMENA PAZ , HORMAZABAL CASTILLO, JUAN PATRICIO , VIAL COX, MARIA CECILIA , CORTES SALINAS, LINA JIMENA , GONZALEZ WIEDMAIER, CLAUDIA MARTA , RUBILAR RAMIREZ, PAOLA , APABLAZA SALINAS, MAURICIO IVÁN , Muriel Ramírez-Santana , Gloria Icaza , Loreto Nuñez-Franz , Rubén Quezada-Gate , Macarena Said , PEREZ ACUÑA, CLAUDIA VERONICA , CASTILLO LABORDE, CARLA CECILIA , Carolina Sacristán Ramírez , VIAL CLARO, PABLO AGUSTIN

Using levels of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs), we evaluate the successful Chilean SARS-CoV-2 vaccine campaign, which combines different vaccine technologies and heterologous boosters. From a population-based study performed in November 2021, we randomly selected 120 seropositive individuals, organized into six groups of positive samples (20 subjects each) according to natural infection history and the five most frequent vaccination schemes. We conclude that the booster dose, regardless of vaccine technology or natural infection, and mRNA vaccines significantly improve nAbs response.

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Multicenter Study to Determine the Immune Response to the Vaccine Against SARS COV-2, in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease on Dialysis and Kidney Transplants

2022 , CAMILO ERNESTO ULLOA TESSER , POLI HARLOWE, MARIA CECILIA BERTA , REY JURADO, EMMA , VIAL COX, MARIA CECILIA , CORTES SALINAS, LINA JIMENA , HORMAZABAL CASTILLO, JUAN PATRICIO

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Overcoming Health Inequities: Spatial Analysis of Seroprevalence and Vaccination Against COVID-19 in Chile

2024 , Muriel Ramírez-Santana , Juan Correa , Loreto Núñez Franz , APABLAZA SALINAS, MAURICIO IVÁN , RUBILAR RAMIREZ, PAOLA ANDREA , VIAL COX, MARIA CECILIA , CORTES SALINAS, LINA JIMENA , HORMAZABAL CASTILLO, JUAN PATRICIO , Luis Canales , VIAL CLARO, PABLO AGUSTIN , AGUILERA SANHUEZA, XIMENA PAZ

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Factors influencing neutralizing antibody response to the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Omicron variant in a high vaccination coverage country, a population-based study

2023 , HORMAZABAL CASTILLO, JUAN PATRICIO , Loreto Nuñez-Franz , RUBILAR RAMIREZ, PAOLA ANDREA , APABLAZA SALINAS, MAURICIO IVÁN , VIAL COX, MARIA CECILIA , CORTES SALINAS, LINA JIMENA , Macarena Said , Kathya Olivares , VIAL CLARO, PABLO AGUSTIN , Muriel Ramírez-Santana , GONZALEZ WIEDMAIER, CLAUDIA MARTA , Natalia González , AGUILERA SANHUEZA, XIMENA PAZ

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Humoral immune response in people living with HIV after administration of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine CoronaVac or BNT162b2 or CoronaVac/BNT162b2 booster sequence: A cross-sectional study

2024 , Marcelo Wolff , Paulo Charpentier , Andrea Canals , VIAL COX, MARIA CECILIA , HORMAZABAL CASTILLO, JUAN PATRICIO , CORTES SALINAS, LINA JIMENA , Macarena Silva

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Assessing Pulmonary Epithelial Damage in Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome: Challenging the Predominant Role of Vascular Endothelium through sRAGE as a Potential Biomarker

2023 , Gabriela Meza-Fuentes , LOPEZ HERNANDEZ, RENE RAMON , RETAMAL LUCERO, MAURICIO ANTONIO , CORTES SALINAS, LINA JIMENA , VIAL COX, MARIA CECILIA , DELGADO BECERRA, OROZIMBA IRIS , VIAL CLARO, PABLO AGUSTIN

Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) is a severe respiratory illness primarily associated with microvascular endothelial changes, particularly in the lungs. However, the role of the pulmonary epithelium in HCPS pathogenesis remains unclear. This study explores the potential of soluble Receptors for Advanced Glycation End-products (sRAGE) as a biomarker for assessing pulmonary epithelial damage in severe HCPS, challenging the prevailing view that endothelial dysfunction is the sole driver of this syndrome. We conducted a cross-sectional study on critically ill HCPS patients, categorizing them into mild HCPS, severe HCPS, and negative control groups. Plasma sRAGE levels were measured, revealing significant differences between the severe HCPS group and controls. Our findings suggest that sRAGE holds promise as an indicator of pulmonary epithelial injury in HCPS and may aid in tracking disease progression and guiding therapeutic strategies. This study brings clarity on the importance of investigating the pulmonary epithelium’s role in HCPS pathogenesis, offering potential avenues for enhanced diagnostic precision and support in this critical public health concern.

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Deep immunophenotyping reveals biomarkers of multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children in a Latin American cohort

2022 , REY JURADO, EMMA , Yazmin Espinosa , Camila Astudillo , CORTES SALINAS, LINA JIMENA , HORMAZABAL CASTILLO, JUAN PATRICIO , Fernanda Cofré , Cecilia Piñera , Loreani P. Noguera , Ricardo González , Alexander Bataszew , MUÑOZ VENTURELLI, PAULA ANDREA , Dona Benadof , Patricia Álvarez , Valeria Acevedo , VIAL CLARO, PABLO AGUSTIN , VIAL COX, MARIA CECILIA , POLI HARLOWE, MARIA CECILIA BERTA

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Immunization and SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Seroprevalence in a Country with High Vaccination Coverage: Lessons from Chile

2022 , AGUILERA SANHUEZA, XIMENA PAZ , Gloria Icaza , GONZALEZ WIEDMAIER, CLAUDIA MARTA , RUBILAR RAMIREZ, PAOLA , APABLAZA SALINAS, MAURICIO IVÁN , Muriel Ramírez-Santana , PEREZ ACUÑA, CLAUDIA VERONICA , CORTES SALINAS, LINA JIMENA , Loreto Núñez-Franz , Rubén Quezada-Gaete , CASTILLO LABORDE, CARLA CECILIA , Juan Correa , Macarena Said , HORMAZABAL CASTILLO, JUAN PATRICIO , VIAL COX, MARIA CECILIA , VIAL CLARO, PABLO AGUSTIN

Chile is among the most successful nations worldwide in terms of its COVID-19 vaccine rollout. By 31 December 2021, 84.1% of the population was fully vaccinated, and 56.1% received booster doses using different COVID-19 vaccines. In this context, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies following the infection and vaccination campaign. Using a three-stage stratified sampling, we performed a population-based cross-sectional serosurvey based on a representative sample of three Chilean cities. Selected participants were blood-sampled on-site and answered a short COVID-19 and vaccination history questionnaire using Wantai SARS-CoV-2 Ab ELISA to determine seroprevalence. We recruited 2198 individuals aged 7–93 between 5 October and 25 November 2021; 2132 individuals received COVID-19 vaccinations (97%), 67 (3.1%) received one dose, 2065 (93.9%) received two doses, and 936 received the booster jab (42.6%). Antibody seroprevalence reached 97.3%, ranging from 40.9% among those not vaccinated to 99.8% in those with booster doses (OR = 674.6, 154.8–2938.5). SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were associated with vaccination, previous COVID-19 diagnosis, age group, and city of residence. In contrast, we found no significant differences in the type of vaccine used, education, nationality, or type of health insurance. We found a seroprevalence close to 100%, primarily due to the successful vaccination program, which strongly emphasizes universal access.