tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Clin Infect Dis
. 2021 Jun 16;ciab555.
doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab555. Online ahead of print.
Humoral and cellular immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants and human coronaviruses after single BNT162b2 vaccination
Metodi V Stankov[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Anne Cossmann[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Agnes Bonifacius[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alexandra Dopfer-Jablonka[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Gema Morillas Ramos[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nina Gödecke[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Anna Zychlinsky Scharff[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Christine Happle[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Anna-Lena Boeck[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Anh Thu Tran[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Isabell Pink[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Marius M Hoeper[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Rainer Blasczyk[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Martin S Winkler[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Inga Nehlmeier[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Amy Kempf[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Heike Hofmann-Winkler[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Markus Hoffmann[SUP] 9 10 [/SUP], Britta Eiz-Vesper[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Stefan Pöhlmann[SUP] 9 10 [/SUP], Georg M N Behrens[SUP] 1 3 11 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies are key in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. However, delays of boost immunization due to limited availability of vaccines may leave individuals vulnerable to infection and prolonged or severe disease courses. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC), B.1.1.7 (United Kingdom), B.1.351 (South Africa), and P.1 (Brazil), may exacerbate this issue, as the latter two are able to evade control by antibodies.
Methods: We assessed humoral and T cell responses against SARS-CoV-2 WT, VOC and endemic human coronaviruses (hCoV) that were induced after single and double vaccination with BNT162b2.
Results: Despite readily detectable IgG against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein at day 14 after a single vaccination, inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 S-driven host cell entry was weak and particularly low for the B.1.351 variant. Frequencies of SARS-CoV-2 WT and VOC specific T cells were low in many vaccinees after application of a single dose and influenced by immunity against endemic hCoV. The second vaccination significantly boosted T cell frequencies reactive for WT, B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants.
Conclusion: These results call into question whether neutralizing antibodies significantly contribute to protection against COVID-19 upon single vaccination and suggest that cellular immunity is central for the early defenses against COVID-19.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; T cells; antibodies; vaccination.
. 2021 Jun 16;ciab555.
doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab555. Online ahead of print.
Humoral and cellular immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants and human coronaviruses after single BNT162b2 vaccination
Metodi V Stankov[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Anne Cossmann[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Agnes Bonifacius[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alexandra Dopfer-Jablonka[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Gema Morillas Ramos[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nina Gödecke[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Anna Zychlinsky Scharff[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Christine Happle[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Anna-Lena Boeck[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Anh Thu Tran[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Isabell Pink[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Marius M Hoeper[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Rainer Blasczyk[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Martin S Winkler[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Inga Nehlmeier[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Amy Kempf[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Heike Hofmann-Winkler[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Markus Hoffmann[SUP] 9 10 [/SUP], Britta Eiz-Vesper[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Stefan Pöhlmann[SUP] 9 10 [/SUP], Georg M N Behrens[SUP] 1 3 11 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34134134
- DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab555
Abstract
Background: Vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies are key in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. However, delays of boost immunization due to limited availability of vaccines may leave individuals vulnerable to infection and prolonged or severe disease courses. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC), B.1.1.7 (United Kingdom), B.1.351 (South Africa), and P.1 (Brazil), may exacerbate this issue, as the latter two are able to evade control by antibodies.
Methods: We assessed humoral and T cell responses against SARS-CoV-2 WT, VOC and endemic human coronaviruses (hCoV) that were induced after single and double vaccination with BNT162b2.
Results: Despite readily detectable IgG against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein at day 14 after a single vaccination, inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 S-driven host cell entry was weak and particularly low for the B.1.351 variant. Frequencies of SARS-CoV-2 WT and VOC specific T cells were low in many vaccinees after application of a single dose and influenced by immunity against endemic hCoV. The second vaccination significantly boosted T cell frequencies reactive for WT, B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants.
Conclusion: These results call into question whether neutralizing antibodies significantly contribute to protection against COVID-19 upon single vaccination and suggest that cellular immunity is central for the early defenses against COVID-19.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; T cells; antibodies; vaccination.