Stability of gut microbiome after COVID-19 vaccination in healthy and immuno-compromised individuals
Rebecca H. Boston, Rui Guan, Lajos Kalmár, Sina Beier, Emily C. Horner, Nonantzin Beristain‐Covarrubias, Juan Carlos Yam‐Puc, Pehuén Pereyra Gerber, Luisa Faria, Anna Kuroshchenkova, Anna E. Lindell, Sonja Blasche, Andrea Correa-Noguera, Anne Elmer, Caroline Saunders, Areti Bermperi, Sherly Jose, Nathalie Kingston, Sofia Grigoriadou, Emily Staples, Matthew Buckland, Sara Lear, Nicholas J. Matheson, Vladimı́r Beneš, Christine Parkinson, James Thaventhiran, Kiran Raosaheb Patil
Abstract
Bidirectional interactions between the immune system and the gut microbiota are key contributors to various physiological functions. Immune-associated diseases such as cancer and autoimmunity, and efficacy of immunomodulatory therapies, have been linked to microbiome variation. Although COVID-19 infection has been shown to cause microbial dysbiosis, it remains understudied whether the inflammatory response associated with vaccination also impacts the microbiota. Here, we investigate the temporal impact of COVID-19 vaccination on the gut microbiome in healthy and immuno-compromised individuals; the latter included patients with primary immunodeficiency and cancer patients on immunomodulating therapies. We find that the gut microbiome remained remarkably stable post-vaccination irrespective of diverse immune status, vaccine response, and microbial composition spanned by the cohort. The stability is evident at all evaluated levels including diversity, phylum, species, and functional capacity. Our results indicate the resilience of the gut microbiome to host immune changes triggered by COVID-19 vaccination and suggest minimal, if any, impact on microbiome-mediated processes. These findings encourage vaccine acceptance, particularly when contrasted with the significant microbiome shifts observed during COVID-19 infection.