scholarly journals Third doses of COVID-19 vaccines reduce infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and could prevent future surges in some populations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Billy J Gardner ◽  
A. Marm Kilpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Vaccine Protection ◽  
Contact Rates ◽  
Previous Infection ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Protection Against Infection ◽  
The Impact

Background Vaccines have greatly reduced the impact of COVID-19 globally. Unfortunately, evidence indicates that immunity wanes following vaccination, especially with the Delta variant (B.1.617.2). Protection against severe disease and death remain high, but protection against milder disease and infection have dropped significantly. A third booster dose of two-dose vaccines has been approved in several countries to individuals at higher risk of severe disease to protect those individuals, but the benefit to boosting immunity in younger healthy individuals and the effects on transmission are less clear. Methods Here we use relationships between neutralizing antibody titers and vaccine protection against infection and transmission, combined with data on waning and boosting of neutralizing antibody titers to examine the impact of a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine on infection and transmission and its impact on the pathogen effective reproductive number Rt. Findings Eight months of waning reduced protection of the Pfizer vaccine against all infections from 80.0% (95% CI: 77% to 83%) to 60.4% (95% CI: 53% to 67%); a third dose (which increased neutralizing antibody titers 25.9- fold relative to levels after 8 months of waning) increased protection to 87.2% (95% CI: 83% to 91%). Increased protection against infection and transmission from third doses reduced Rt by 21% to 66% depending on vaccine coverage and previous infection and reduced Rt below 1 when vaccination coverage was high or contact rates were well below pre-pandemic levels. Interpretation A third dose of the Pfizer vaccine could reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2, which would reduce infection in unvaccinated individuals and breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals. While vaccination of unvaccinated individuals, especially in developing countries, would be more effective for reducing disease than providing a third dose to vaccinated individuals, the benefit of a third dose in reducing transmission is sizeable and increases with vaccine coverage and contact rates among individuals.

scholarly journals Estimates of reduced vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization, infection, transmission and symptomatic disease of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant, Omicron (B.1.1.529), using neutralizing antibody titers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Billy J Gardner ◽  
A. Marm Kilpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Immune Escape ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Vaccine Effectiveness ◽  
Vaccine Protection ◽  
Infection Transmission ◽  
Symptomatic Disease ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Protection Against Infection

The emergence of the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) of SARS-CoV-2 has raised concerns about how mutations in the spike protein might influence immune escape and vaccine protection against infection and disease, COVID-19. Initial estimates of immune escape measure neutralizing antibody titers, which have been shown to be a correlate of protection for COVID-19, but vary among studies. However, no studies have examined variation in vaccine effectiveness (VE) using estimated reductions in neutralizing antibody titers across virus variants. We quantified consistency in relative neutralizing antibody titers across studies. We then examined relationships between variant-specific reductions in neutralizing antibodies and protection against documented infection, symptomatic disease, and hospitalizations across variants and vaccines. We found considerable variation in variant-specific neutralizing antibody titers between studies, but within-study comparisons across variants were far more robust. There was insufficient data to estimate VE for a single vaccine across variants, especially for higher levels of immune evasion (>7-fold reductions in neutralizing antibody titers) observed with the Omicron variant (40-fold). Instead, we leveraged variation among both vaccines and virus variants to estimate VE - neutralizing antibody titer relationships across a 30 to 100-fold range of neutralizing antibody titers reduction. Omicron increased the risk of hospitalization four to five-fold and increased the risk of symptomatic disease seven to ten-fold for mRNA vaccinees, with similar relative effects for recently vaccinated, or individuals with waned antibody titers. Third doses restored titers and protection to levels similar to waned immunity against Delta. Overall, these analyses indicate that vaccine effectiveness against severe disease is significantly diminished for waned individuals, and protection against infection, symptomatic disease and transmission is nearly eliminated. However, third doses significantly ameliorate these reductions but only restore protection to levels equivalent to waned protection against the Delta variant. The invasion of Omicron is likely to result in widespread infection, and substantial hospitalizations unless widespread boosting of immunity occurs.

scholarly journals Titers of Neutralizing Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Are Independent of Symptoms of Non-Severe COVID-19 in Young Adults

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 284
Author(s):  
Hulda R. Jonsdottir ◽  
Michel Bielecki ◽  
Denise Siegrist ◽  
Thomas W. Buehrer ◽  
Roland Züst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Humoral Response ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Neutralization Assay ◽  
Asymptomatic Infection ◽  
Homogeneous Population ◽  
Humoral Immune ◽  
Antibody Titers

Neutralizing antibodies are an important part of the humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2. It is currently unclear to what extent such antibodies are produced after non-severe disease or asymptomatic infection. We studied a cluster of SARS-CoV-2 infections among a homogeneous population of 332 predominantly male Swiss soldiers and determined the neutralizing antibody response with a serum neutralization assay using a recombinant SARS-CoV-2-GFP. All patients with non-severe COVID-19 showed a swift humoral response within two weeks after the onset of symptoms, which remained stable for the duration of the study. One month after the outbreak, titers in COVID-19 convalescents did not differ from the titers of asymptomatically infected individuals. Furthermore, symptoms of COVID-19 did not correlate with neutralizing antibody titers. Therefore, we conclude that asymptomatic infection can induce the same humoral immunity as non-severe COVID-19 in young adults.

scholarly journals IL-6 and IL-10 Levels, Rather Than Viral Load and Neutralizing Antibody Titers, Determine the Fate of Patients With Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus Infection in South Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong Rae Yoo ◽  
Tae-Jin Kim ◽  
Sang Taek Heo ◽  
Kyung-Ah Hwang ◽  
Hyunjoo Oh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Multiorgan Failure ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Elevated Serum ◽  
Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Haemaphysalis Longicornis ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Severe Fever

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a new tick-borne viral disease, and most SFTS virus (SFTSV) infections occur via bites from the tick Haemaphysalis longicornis; however, SFTSV transmission can also occur through close contact with an infected patient. SFTS is characterized by acute high fever, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, elevated serum hepatic enzyme levels, gastrointestinal symptoms, and multiorgan failure and has a 16.2 to 30% mortality rate. In this study, we found that age, dyspnea rates, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase, multiorgan dysfunction score (MODS), viral load, IL-6 levels, and IL-10 levels were higher in patients with fatal disease than in patients with nonfatal disease during the initial clinical course of SFTS. In addition, we found that IL-6 and IL-10 levels, rather than viral load and neutralizing antibody titers, in patients with an SFTSV infection strongly correlated with outcomes (for severe disease with an ultimate outcome of recovery or death).

scholarly journals The importance of sustained compliance with physical distancing during COVID-19 vaccination rollout

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Teslya ◽  
Ganna Rozhnova ◽  
Thi Mui Pham ◽  
Daphne van Wees ◽  
Hendrik Nunner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Contact Rates ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Vaccination Campaigns ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Mass vaccination campaigns against SARS-CoV-2 are under way in many countries with the hope that increasing vaccination coverage will enable reducing current physical distancing measures. Compliance with these measures is waning, while more transmissible virus variants such as B.1.1.7 have emerged. Using SARS-CoV-2 transmission model we investigated the impact of the feedback between compliance, the incidence of infection, and vaccination coverage on the success of a vaccination programme in the population where waning of compliance depends on vaccine coverage. Our results suggest that the combination of fast waning compliance, slow vaccination rates, and more transmissible variants may result in a higher cumulative number of infections than in a situation without vaccination. These adverse effects can be alleviated if vaccinated individuals do not revert to pre-pandemic contact rates, and if non-vaccinated individuals remain compliant with physical distancing measures. Both require convincing, clear and appropriately targeted communication strategies by public health authorities.

scholarly journals A SARS-CoV-2 spike ferritin nanoparticle vaccine protects hamsters against Alpha and Beta virus variant challenge

npj Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn McGuckin Wuertz ◽  
Erica K. Barkei ◽  
Wei-Hung Chen ◽  
Elizabeth J. Martinez ◽  
Ines Lakhal-Naouar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Lung Pathology ◽  
Vaccine Protection ◽  
Virus Variant ◽  
Syrian Golden Hamsters ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Binding Antibody ◽  
Adequate Coverage ◽  
Dose Dependent

AbstractThe emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) requires adequate coverage of vaccine protection. We evaluated whether a SARS-CoV-2 spike ferritin nanoparticle vaccine (SpFN), adjuvanted with the Army Liposomal Formulation QS21 (ALFQ), conferred protection against the Alpha (B.1.1.7), and Beta (B.1.351) VOCs in Syrian golden hamsters. SpFN-ALFQ was administered as either single or double-vaccination (0 and 4 week) regimens, using a high (10 μg) or low (0.2 μg) dose. Animals were intranasally challenged at week 11. Binding antibody responses were comparable between high- and low-dose groups. Neutralizing antibody titers were equivalent against WA1, B.1.1.7, and B.1.351 variants following two high dose vaccinations. Dose-dependent SpFN-ALFQ vaccination protected against SARS-CoV-2-induced disease and viral replication following intranasal B.1.1.7 or B.1.351 challenge, as evidenced by reduced weight loss, lung pathology, and lung and nasal turbinate viral burden. These data support the development of SpFN-ALFQ as a broadly protective, next-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

scholarly journals Detection, prevalence, and duration of humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 under conditions of limited population exposure.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler J Ripperger ◽  
Jennifer L Uhrlaub ◽  
Makiko Watanabe ◽  
Rachel Wong ◽  
Yvonne Castaneda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Asymptomatic Individuals ◽  
Humoral Responses ◽  
Antibody Levels ◽  
Antibody Kinetics

We conducted an extensive serological study to quantify population-level exposure and define correlates of immunity against SARS-CoV-2. We found that relative to mild COVID-19 cases, individuals with severe disease exhibited elevated authentic virus-neutralizing titers and antibody levels against nucleocapsid (N) and the receptor binding domain (RBD) and the S2 region of spike protein. Unlike disease severity, age and sex played lesser roles in serological responses. All cases, including asymptomatic individuals, seroconverted by 2 weeks post-PCR confirmation. RBD- and S2-specific and neutralizing antibody titers remained elevated and stable for at least 2-3 months post-onset, whereas those against N were more variable with rapid declines in many samples. Testing of 5882 self-recruited members of the local community demonstrated that 1.24% of individuals showed antibody reactivity to RBD. However, 18% (13/73) of these putative seropositive samples failed to neutralize authentic SARS-CoV-2 virus. Each of the neutralizing, but only 1 of the non-neutralizing samples, also displayed potent reactivity to S2. Thus, inclusion of multiple independent assays markedly improved the accuracy of antibody tests in low seroprevalence communities and revealed differences in antibody kinetics depending on the viral antigen. In contrast to other reports, we conclude that immunity is durable for at least several months after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Neutralizing antibody titers six months after Comirnaty vaccination: kinetics and comparison with SARS-CoV-2 immunoassays

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Padoan ◽  
Chiara Cosma ◽  
Francesco Bonfante ◽  
Foscarina della Rocca ◽  
Francesco Barbaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Dose ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Viral Neutralization ◽  
Previous Infection ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Antibody Levels

Abstract Objectives mRNA vaccines, including Comirnaty (BNT162b2 mRNA, BioNTech-Pfizer), elicit high IgG and neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses after the second dose, but the progressive decrease in serum antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 following vaccination have raised questions concerning long-term immunity, decreased antibody levels being associated with breakthrough infections after vaccination, prompting the consideration of booster doses. Methods A total number of 189 Padua University-Hospital healthcare workers (HCW) who had received a second vaccine dose were asked to collect serum samples for determining Ab at 12 (t12) and 28 (t28) days, and 6 months (t6m) after their first Comirnaty/BNT162b2 inoculation. Ab titers were measured with plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), and three chemiluminescent immunoassays, targeting the receptor binding domain (RBD), the trimeric Spike protein (trimeric-S), and surrogate viral neutralization tests (sVNT). Results The median percentages (interquartile range) for decrease in antibodies values 6 months after the first dose were 86.8% (67.1–92.8%) for S-RBD IgG, 82% (58.6–89.3%) for trimeric-S, 70.4% (34.5–86.4%) for VNT-Nab, 75% (50–87.5%) for PRNT50 and 75% (50–93.7%) for PRNT90. At 6 months, neither PRNT titers nor VNT-Nab and S-RBD IgG bAb levels correlated with age (p=0.078) or gender (p=0.938), while they were correlated with previous infection (p<0.001). Conclusions After 6 months, a method-independent reduction of around 90% in anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was detected, while no significant differences were found between values of males and females aged between 24 and 65 years without compromised health status. Further efforts to improve analytical harmonization and standardization are needed.

Modeling the impact of migrated population on human-to-human transmission of Ebola virus disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 09 (01) ◽  
pp. 1850008
Author(s):  
Abhinav Tandon ◽  
Sankha Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Disease Model ◽  
Critical Values ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Contact Rates ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Time Required ◽  
The Impact

A nonlinear SEIR mathematical model is developed to investigate the impact of migrated population, infected with Ebola virus, on human-to-human transmission of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in a disease-free area. In view of the dynamics of Ebola virus disease, here, the infected class is supposed to be divided into subclasses, viz. primary and secondary infected. The proposed model is analyzed qualitatively using the stability theory of differential equations and quantitatively using numerical simulation. The obtained results, qualitatively and quantitatively, suggest that migration and contact rates play an important role in controlling the spreading of disease. Critical values for migration and contact rates are evaluated and it is revealed that if these rates go beyond their critical values, it leads to delay in the stabilization of the system. It is also found that primary reproductive number increases with increase in migration rate. Besides this, the approximate time required to attain stability of the disease model system is also determined. The model analysis recommends quarantining the noninfected from the secondary infected in order to control the spreading out of disease.

scholarly journals Obesity Correlates With Pronounced Aberrant Innate Immune Responses in Hospitalized Aged COVID-19 Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Z. Zulu ◽  
Suhas Sureshchandra ◽  
Amanda N. Pinski ◽  
Brianna Doratt ◽  
Weining Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Host Response ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Igg Antibody ◽  
Aged Patients ◽  
Prevalence Of Obesity ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
The Impact

Both age and obesity are leading risk factors for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Specifically, although most infections occur in individuals under the age of 55 years, 95% of hospitalizations, admissions to the intensive care unit, and deaths occur in those over the age of 55 years. Moreover, hospitalized COVID-19 patients have a higher prevalence of obesity. It is generally believed that chronic low-grade inflammation and dysregulated innate and adaptive immune responses that are associated with aging and obesity are responsible for this elevated risk of severe disease. However, the impact of advanced age and obesity on the host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection remains poorly defined. In this study, we assessed changes in the concentration of soluble immune mediators, IgG antibody titers, frequency of circulating immune cells, and cytokine responses to mitogen stimulation as a function of BMI and age. We detected significant negative correlations between BMI and myeloid immune cell subsets that were more pronounced in aged patients. Similarly, inflammatory cytokine production by monocytes was also negatively correlated with BMI in aged patients. These data suggest that the BMI-dependent impact on host response to SARS-CoV-2 is more pronounced on innate responses of aged patients.

scholarly journals Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, in Corsica (France), April and June 2020.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisandru Capai ◽  
Nazli Ayhan ◽  
Shirley Masse ◽  
Jean Canarelli ◽  
Stephane Priet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutralization Test ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Blood Analysis ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
P Value ◽  
Igg Antibodies ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sera Samples

Our aim was to assess the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection after the lockdown in a sample of the Corsican population. Between 16th April and 15th June 2020, 2,312 residual sera were collected from patients having carried out a blood analysis in one of the participating laboratories. Residual sera obtained from persons of all ages were tested for the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG using the EUROIMMUN enzyme immunoassay kit for semiquantitative detection of IgG antibodies against S1 domain of viral spike protein (ELISA-S). Borderline and positive samples in ELISA-S were also tested with an in-house virus neutralization test (VNT). Prevalence values were adjusted for sex and age. A total of 1,973 residual sera samples were included in the study. The overall seroprevalence based on ELISA-S was 5.27% [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.33-6.35] and 5.46% [4.51-6.57] after adjustment. Gender was not associated with IgG detection. However, significant differences were observed between age groups (p-value = 1 E-5) and particularly for people being younger than 50 years of age (Odd ratio (OR) = 2.86 95% CI [1.80- 4.53]; p-value <0.000001*). The prevalence of neutralizing antibody titers ≥40 was of 3% [2.28-3.84]. In conclusion the present study showed that a low seroprevalence for COVID-19 in Corsica in accordance with values reported for other French regions in which the impact of the pandemic was low.

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