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Front Immunol
. 2022 Apr 22;13:869990.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.869990. eCollection 2022.
Long-Lasting T Cell Responses in BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA Vaccinees and COVID-19 Convalescent Patients
Antti Hurme 1 2 , Pinja Jalkanen 1 , Jemna Heroum 1 , Oona Liedes 3 , Saimi Vara 3 , Merit Melin 3 , Johanna Teräsjärvi 1 , Qiushui He 1 , Sakari Pöysti 1 4 , Arno Hänninen 1 4 , Jarmo Oksi 2 , Tytti Vuorinen 1 4 , Anu Kantele 5 , Paula A Tähtinen 6 , Lauri Ivaska 6 , Laura Kakkola 1 , Johanna Lempainen 1 6 , Ilkka Julkunen 1 4
Affiliations
- PMID: 35529867
- PMCID: PMC9073085
- DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.869990
Abstract
The emergence of novel variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has made it more difficult to prevent the virus from spreading despite available vaccines. Reports of breakthrough infections and decreased capacity of antibodies to neutralize variants raise the question whether current vaccines can still protect against COVID-19 disease. We studied the dynamics and persistence of T cell responses using activation induced marker (AIM) assay and Th1 type cytokine production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccinated health care workers and COVID-19 patients. We demonstrate that equally high T cell responses following vaccination and infection persist at least for 6 months against Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants despite the decline in antibody levels.
Keywords: BNT162b2; Covid-19; T cell mediated immunity; humoral immunity; vaccine.