Self-collection of capillary blood and saliva to determine COVID-19 vaccine immunogenicity in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and health professionals

Schmetzer C, Vogt E, Stellar L, Godonou ET, Liphardt AM, Muehlensiepen F, Vuillerme N, Hueber A, Kleyer A, Krönke G, Schett G, Simon D, Knitza J (2022)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal

Book Volume: 10

Article Number: 994770

DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.994770

Abstract

Introduction: Being able to independently determine vaccine induced antibody responses by minimal-invasive methods is of great interest to enable a flexible and effective vaccination strategy. This study aimed to evaluate (1) the accuracy, feasibility, usability and acceptability of capillary blood and saliva self-sampling to determine SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) and health professionals (HP). Methods: IMID patients and HP having received two doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, self-collected capillary blood (Tasso+) and saliva samples. Capillary samples were considered interchangeable with venous blood if three criteria were met: Spearman's correlation coefficient (r) > 0.8, non-significant Wilcoxon signed-rank test (i.e., p > 0.05), and a small bias or 95% of tests within 10% difference through Bland-Altman. Participants completed a survey to investigate self-sampling usability (system usability scale; SUS) and acceptability (net promoter score; NPS). Study personnel monitored correct self-sampling completion and recorded protocol deviations. Results: 60 participants (30 IMID patients and 30 HP) were analyzed. We observed interchangeability for capillary samples with an accuracy of 98.3/100% for Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgA antibodies, respectively. Fifty-eight capillary blood samples and all 60 saliva samples were successfully collected within the first attempt. Usability of both self-sampling procedures was rated as excellent, with significantly higher saliva ratings (p < 0.001). Capillary self-sampling was perceived as significantly (p < 0.001) less painful compared to traditional venous blood collection. Participants reported a NPS for capillary and saliva self-sampling of +68% and +63%, respectively. The majority of both groups (73%) preferred capillary self-sampling over professional venous blood collection. Conclusion: Our results indicate that capillary self-sampling is accurate, feasible and preferred over conventional venous blood collection. Implementation could enable easy access, flexible vaccination monitoring, potentially leading to a better protection of vulnerable patient groups. Self-collection of saliva is feasible and safe however more work is needed to determine its application in clinical practice.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg "Theodor Fontane" / Brandenburg Medical School "Theodor Fontane" Germany (DE) University of Grenoble Alpes (UGA) / Université de Grenoble France (FR) Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Schmetzer, C., Vogt, E., Stellar, L., Godonou, E.-T., Liphardt, A.-M., Muehlensiepen, F.,... Knitza, J. (2022). Self-collection of capillary blood and saliva to determine COVID-19 vaccine immunogenicity in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and health professionals. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.994770

MLA:

Schmetzer, Caroline, et al. "Self-collection of capillary blood and saliva to determine COVID-19 vaccine immunogenicity in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and health professionals." Frontiers in Public Health 10 (2022).

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