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Long-term adaptive response in COVID-19 vaccine recipients and the effect of a booster dose

2023; Frontiers Media; Volume: 14; Linguagem: Inglês

10.3389/fimmu.2023.1123158

1664-3224

Luca Perico, Marta Todeschini, Federica Casiraghi, Marilena Mister, Anna Pezzotta, Tobia Peracchi, Susanna Tomasoni, Piera Trionfini, Ariela Benigni, Giuseppe Remuzzi,

Computational Drug Discovery Methods

We examined the immune response in subjects previously infected with SARS-CoV2 and infection-naïve 9 months after primary 2-dose COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and 3 months after the booster dose in a longitudinal cohort of healthcare workers. Nine months after primary vaccination, previously infected subjects exhibited higher residual antibody levels, with significant neutralizing activity against distinct variants compared to infection-naïve subjects. The higher humoral response was associated with higher levels of receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific IgG+ and IgA+ memory B cells. The booster dose increased neither neutralizing activity, nor the B and T cell frequencies. Conversely, infection-naïve subjects needed the booster to achieve comparable levels of neutralizing antibodies as those found in previously infected subjects after primary vaccination. The neutralizing titer correlated with anti-RBD IFNγ producing T cells, in the face of sustained B cell response. Notably, pre-pandemic samples showed high Omicron cross-reactivity. These data show the importance of the booster dose in reinforcing immunological memory and increasing circulating antibodies in infection-naïve subjects.