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World J Transplant. Jun 18, 2026; 16(2): 119075
Published online Jun 18, 2026. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i2.119075
Published online Jun 18, 2026. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i2.119075
Clinical predictors of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine immunogenicity in kidney transplant recipients at a rural center
Debargha Basuli, Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, United States
Bonnie Ross, Lorita M Rebellato, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, United States
Author contributions: Basuli D conceived and designed the study, performed data analysis, and drafted the manuscript; Ross B and Rebellato LM contributed to data acquisition, interpretation of results, and critical revision of the manuscript; all authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of East Carolina University. The requirement for informed consent was waived due to the retrospective nature of the study and use of de-identified data.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board due to the retrospective study design and use of de-identified data.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to this study.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement checklist for observational studies and confirm that the manuscript was prepared and revised in accordance with STROBE guidelines.
Data sharing statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Debargha Basuli, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, 2355 W Arlington Blvd, Greenville, NC 27834, United States. basulid17@ecu.edu
Received: January 21, 2026
Revised: February 3, 2026
Accepted: March 18, 2026
Published online: June 18, 2026
Processing time: 131 Days and 8.8 Hours
Revised: February 3, 2026
Accepted: March 18, 2026
Published online: June 18, 2026
Processing time: 131 Days and 8.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: In a rural kidney transplant population, fewer than two thirds of recipients developed detectable antibodies after a standard two dose mRNA severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccination series. Serologic response was associated with allograft function and antimetabolite exposure, while routine demographic and clinical factors did not predict antibody magnitude among responders. Because immune assessment was limited to a binding antibody assay and clinical outcomes were not evaluated, these findings describe serologic response rather than clinical protection and should be in