02458nas a2200349   4500000000100000008004100001260005300042653002300095653002500118653001300143653002300156653001500179653001100194100001700205700001200222700001400234700001400248700001300262700001400275700001400289700001300303700001500316700001500331700001300346700000900359245015200368856006900520300001100589490000700600520148700607022001402094       2026                            d  c07/2026bSpringer Science and Business Media LLC10ahelminth infection10aCOVID-19 vaccination10aCovid-1910aAntibody responses10aSARS-COV-210aMalawi1 aMcCormack MJ1 aBanda L1 aKasenda S1 aSamikwa L1 aMeleke H1 aHughes EC1 aCrampin A1 aChaima D1 aNyirenda T1 aWillett BJ1 aAmoah AS1 aHo A00aAssociation between helminth infection and impaired SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses following COVID-19 vaccination: a cross-sectional study in Malawi  uhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-62359-9_reference.pdf  a1 - 240 v163 a<p>Chronic helminth infections can modulate immune responses to infection and vaccination. This study explored the association between current helminth infection, including waterborne and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) neutralising and IgG antibody responses. Samples were collected cross-sectionally from participants across rural (Karonga) and urban (Lilongwe) regions in Malawi. Helminth infections were detected via real-time PCR in stool and urine samples, targeting&nbsp; Schistosoma &nbsp;spp.,&nbsp; Ascaris lumbricoides ,&nbsp; Ancylostoma duodenale ,&nbsp; Necator americanus , and&nbsp; Trichuris trichiura .&nbsp;SARS-CoV-2 nAbs were measured using a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-based pseudotyped virus neutralisation assay. A nucleocapsid (N) protein enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) identified prior natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated participants. IgG targeting the spike (S) protein was measured using an ELISA. Helminth infection was found to be associated with reduced nAb responses post coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination, but not after natural SARS-CoV-2 infection. Generalised additive model analysis confirmed this interaction while considering covariates. IgG responses were also impaired among those helminth-infected. It should be investigated whether integrating pre-vaccination deworming improves vaccine responses in helminth-endemic regions.</p>
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