Lab Med. 2026 Apr 3;57(3):lmag014. doi: 10.1093/labmed/lmag014.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic led to rapid global vaccine deployment, especially among high-risk groups, such as individuals living with HIV. Data are limited, however, on the immunologic effects of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination-specifically, on CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte levels-in HIV-positive women in South Africa, a population with high HIV prevalence.
METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study included 40 women (aged 14-42 years) admitted to a South African tertiary-care hospital, stratified by HIV and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status. Flow cytometry (BD Multitest [BD Biosciences]) was used to determine absolute CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell counts. Data were analyzed with GraphPad Prism, version 8, software (GraphPad Software). The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparisons between 2 independent groups. For comparisons across more than 2 groups, either a 1-way analysis of variance or the Kruskal-Wallis test was applied, with statistically significant results followed by the Dunn multiple comparisons test. Spearman correlation was used to assess relationships between variables. In all cases, statistical significance was defined as P < .05.
RESULTS: Of the 40 participants, 27 (68%) were HIV positive and 20 (50%) were vaccinated. CD4+ T-cell counts were statistically significantly higher in HIV-negative women than in HIV-positive women (P = .01), while CD8+ levels did not differ significantly (P = .41). Vaccination status had no statistically significant impact on CD4+ or CD8+ counts. The CD4/CD8 ratio was statistically significantly higher in HIV-positive women (P = .01), especially among the unvaccinated subgroup (P = .002).
CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination did not substantially alter CD4+ or CD8+ T lymphocyte levels, regardless of HIV status.
PMID:42001311 | DOI:10.1093/labmed/lmag014
