key: cord-0031411-xikvke2k
authors: Marchi, Ginevra De; Fabris, Martina; Domenis, Rossana; Curcio, Francesco; Vita, Salvatore De; Quartuccio, Luca
title: Comment on: “SARS CoV-2 vaccine AND rituximab, timing is probably a key for a better vaccine response” by Verhoeven et al. Joint Bone Spine 2021;88:105258
date: 2022-05-13
journal: Joint Bone Spine
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2022.105408
sha: 320023928cef418b50079f7251cf8469257fffa2
doc_id: 31411
cord_uid: xikvke2k

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J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f Verhoeven et al. contributed to the open issue of the COVID-19 vaccine response in patients receiving rituximab by describing the first case of infection occurring after vaccination [1] . In that case, the course of COVID-19 was benign even the humoral response was weak.

Indeed, the level of protection by vaccination due to T-cell response in the absence of anti-spike antibody response is the main issue for patients undergoing B-cell depleting therapies [2] . However, it is still unknown whether SARS-CoV-2 vaccination provides protection against severe COVID-19 in patients undergoing persistent B-cell depletion.

In this context, we recently followed a patient who was infected by SARS-CoV-2 two months after rituximab and five months after the second dose of mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine.

She was a 69-years old woman suffering from dermatomyositis. She was treated with rituximab 1 gram two weeks apart in June 2019, and then in January 2020 and in July 2020 for recurrent cutaneous 

SARS CoV-2 vaccine AND rituximab, timing might be a key for a better vaccine response

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