Individuals without a protective antibody level are susceptible to measles infection. There are differences in the persistence of antibodies after vaccination and infection, while the impact of gender on this process has not been sufficiently studied. Measles Ig G antibodies were measured in 1742 employees of a large hospital facility—403 men and 1339 women aged from 25 to 67 years; 15% participants had antibody levels less than the protective threshold of ≥0.18 IU/mL. Significant differences were found in the age group 40–49, where the level of IgG antibodies to measles among men was higher than among women (1.51 IU/mL (0.41; 3.38) vs. 0.70 IU/mL (0.22;1.98) respectively, (U = 3.2, p = 0,001)); in the age group 60 and older, by contrast, the level of antibodies among women was higher compared to men (3.29 IU/mL (1.72; 4.07) vs. 2.90 IU/mL (1.46; 3.53) respectively (U = 2.2, p = 0.03)). The proportion of seronegative women in the age group 40–49 was significantly higher than of seronegative men: 22 [18–26]% and 11 [6–18]% respectively (χ2 = 7.0, p = 0.001). The revealed gender characteristics that affect persistence of measles immunity may be important in personalization of vaccinal prevention for men and women.

Scientific Relevance: Mucosal immunity plays a major role not only in the prevention but probably also in the outcome of COVID-19. An enhanced production of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) might contribute to the activation of the immune response mechanisms. Study Objective: To assess the levels of sIgA produced by epithelial cells in the nasal and pharyngeal mucosa and those measured in salivary gland secretions and to study the course of COVID-19 following the intranasal or subcutaneous administration of a bacteria-based immunostimulant agent. Materials and Methods: This study included 69 patients, aged between 18 and 60, who had moderate COVID-19 infection. They were divided into two groups: Group 1 (control group) included 39 patients who received only background therapy, and Group 2 was made up of 30 patients who received background therapy in combination with the Immunovac VP4 vaccine, a bacteria-based immunostimulant agent, which was given for 11 days starting from the day of admission to hospital. The levels of sIgA were measured by ELISA in nasal epithelial swabs, pharyngeal swabs, and salivary gland secretions at baseline and on days 14 and 30. Results: The convalescence phase of moderate COVID-19 was associated with a decrease in sIgA levels in nasal swabs, persistently high sIgA levels in salivary gland secretions, and no changes in pharyngeal swabs with the levels similar to those in healthy subjects. The addition of an immunostimulant agent to combination therapy for patients with COVID-19 stimulates the production of sIgA in the nasal and pharyngeal compartments, reduces C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and shortens the duration of fever and the length of hospital stay. Conclusion: Using an immunomodulatory agent containing bacterial ligands in therapy for COVID-19 patients enhances the production of sIgA in the nasal and pharyngeal compartments and improves the course of the disease.

BackgroundThe incidence of infections, mainly pneumonias, is significantly increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The risk increases more in persons treated with targeted anti-inflammatory drugs (tDMARDs), biological or targeted synthetic.Pneumococcal vaccination is recommended for most patients with rheumatic diseases. However, only the immunological effectiveness of such vaccination has been sufficiently confirmed. There is sparse evidence of its clinical efficacy in patients with rheumatic diseases.Objectivesto evaluate the effect of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) on the risk of infections in RA patients receiving tDMARDs.MethodsThe data from the Moscow Unified Arthritis Registry (MUAR) for the period 2018-2020 were analyzed. We included patients with RA, over 18 years old, received tDMARDs (all available biologics or tofacitinib).The analysis included episodes of observation from the moment of vaccination with pneumococcal vaccine until the development of the analyzed event (any infection, respiratory infection or serious infection) or until the end of follow up. For unvaccinated patients, episodes began since October 20, 2018 (the average date of vaccination of persons who received immunization).The risks were compared using Cox regression. An adjustment was made for confounders identified in an earlier study: age and smoking.ResultsThe analysis included 832 patients: 40 were vaccinated with PCV13, 35 – with PPV23. There were 144 men (17.3%). The mean age was 55.4 ± 12.1 years. The duration of observation was 319 ± 198 days.A total of 237 infectious events were registered, of which 201 were respiratory and 21 serious (Table 1). There was a significantly lower risk of any infection (relative risk (RR) – 0.39 CI: 0.18 - 0.84, p = 0.015) and the risk of respiratory infection (RR - 0.32; CI: 0.13 -0.79; p = 0.014) in the group of patients vaccinated with PCV13 compared with unvaccinated. The differences remained statistically significant after adjusting for the age and smoking, Figure 1.Table 1.Registered infectious eventsEvent groupsLocalisationNumberOf them seriousRespiratory infectionsEar, paranasal sinuses, tonsils162Upper respiratory tract1660Pneumonia1814Lung abscess11Other infectionsEye and appendages30Skin and subcutaneous tissue71Bones and joint22Urogenital tract60Digestive system, including the oral cavity21Herpes infections*160* - events are included in the group, regardless of localization, these events were not included in other sectionsFigure 1.Survival without infectious events (A) and without respiratory infections (B) adjusted for age and smokingThe interaction of the effects of vaccination with the factor of the used tDMARD, as well as with the factor of the use of methotrexate in their effect on the risk of any and respiratory infections was evaluated. There was no significant interaction between these variables.There were no significant differences in the risk of serious infections due to a small number of events of this kind. No serious infections were registered among patients vaccinated with PCV13.ConclusionVaccination with 13-valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving tDMARDs can significantly reduce the risk of infectious complications, mainly due to acute respiratory infections. We found no significant effect of targeted drug and treatment with methotrexate on the effectiveness of vaccination.Disclosure of InterestsEvgeniy Zhilyaev Speakers bureau: UCB Pharma, Biocad, Galina Lukina Speakers bureau: Pfizer, MSD, Biocad, Ekaterina Koltsova: None declared, Dzhamilya Murtazalieva: None declared, Evgeniya Shmidt: None declared, Karine Lytkina Speakers bureau: UCB Pharma, Anna Shmitko: None declared, Dmitry Blagovidov: None declared, Mikhail Kostinov: None declared