Methotrexate Treatment Suppresses Monocytes in Nonresponders to Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Figure 3

Comparison of monocytes (% of leukocytes), before initiation of methotrexate (MTX) treatment (pre-MTX), with MTX treatment for 6-12 weeks and before vaccination (pre-vacc.), and 6-7 days after administration of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (post-vacc.), in peripheral blood from rheumatoid arthritis patients, sorted in responders and nonresponders to the vaccine. Positive antibody response was defined as an antibody response ratio (ARR, i.e., the ratio of post- to prevaccination antibody levels) ≥ 2, in > 50% of serotypes. Flow cytometry data was not available for one patient (responder) pre-MTX.