Authors
Mhairi J McCormack, Louis Banda, Stephen Kasenda, Lyson Samikwa, Harry Meleke, Ellen C Hughes, Amelia Crampin, David Chaima, Tonney Nyirenda, Brian J Willett, Abena S Amoah, Antonia Ho
Published in
Scientific reports. Volume 16. Issue 1. Jul 24, 2026. Epub Jul 24, 2026.
Abstract
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 Schistosoma spp., Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus, and Trichuris trichiura. 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.
PMID:
42629447
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Aug 2026.
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