Persistence of immune response in health care workers after two doses BNT162b2 in a longitudinal observational study

Background The mRNA-based vaccine BNT162b2 of BioNTech/Pfizer has shown high efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 infection and a severe course of the COVID-19 disease. However, little is known about the long-term durability of the induced immune response resulting from the vaccination. Methods In a longitudinal observational study in employees at a German hospital we compared the humoral and cellular immune response in 184 participants after two doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine (BNT162b2) with a mid-term follow-up after 9 months. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 binding antibodies were determined using both a quantitative and a semi-quantitative assay. For a qualitative assessment of the humoral immune response, we additionally measured neutralizing antibodies. Cellular immune response was evaluated by measuring Interferon-gamma release after stimulating blood-cells with SARS-CoV-2 specific peptides using a commercial assay. Results In the first analysis, a 100% humoral response rate was described after two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine with a mean antibody ratio of 8.01 ± 1.00. 9 months after the second dose of BNT162b2, serological testing showed a significant decreased mean antibody ratio of 3.84 ± 1.69 (p < 0.001). Neutralizing antibodies were still detectable in 96% of all participants, showing an average binding inhibition value of 68.20% ± 18.87%. Older age, (p < 0.001) and obesity (p = 0.01) had a negative effect on the antibody persistence. SARS-CoV-2 specific cellular immune response was proven in 75% of individuals (mean IFN-gamma release: 579.68 mlU/ml ± 705.56 mlU/ml). Conclusion Our data shows a declining immune response 9 months after the second dose of BNT162b2, supporting the potentially beneficial effect of booster vaccinations, the negative effect of obesity and age stresses the need of booster doses especially in these groups.

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SARS-CoV-2-antibody response in health care workers after vaccination or natural infection in a longitudinal observational study

10.1101/2021.06.09.21258648 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jonas Herzberg ◽

Tanja Vollmer ◽

Bastian Fischer ◽

Heiko Becher ◽

Ann-Kristin Becker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Observational Study ◽

Antibody Response ◽

Natural Infection ◽

Humoral Response ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Igg Antibody ◽

Humoral Immune ◽

Longitudinal Observational Study ◽

Antibody Ratio

Background Following a year of development, several vaccines have been approved to contain the global COVID-19 pandemic. Real world comparative data on immune response following vaccination or natural infection are rare. Methods We conducted a longitudinal observational study in employees at a secondary care hospital affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Comparisons were made about the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunglobulin G (IgG) antibody ratio after natural infection, or vaccination with one or two doses of BioNTech/Pfizer (BNT162b2), or one dose of AstraZenca (Vaxzevria) vaccine. Results We found a 100% humoral response rate in participants after 2 doses of BNT162b2 vaccine. The antibody ratio in participants with one dose BNT162b2 and Vaxzevria did not differ significantly to those with previous PCR-confirmed infection, whereas this was significantly lower in comparison to two doses of BioNTech/Pfizer. We could not identify a correlation with previous comorbidities, obesity or age within this study. Smoking showed a negative effect on the antibody response (p=0.006) Conclusion Our data provide an overview about humoral immune response after natural SARS-CoV-2 infection or following vaccination, and supports the usage of booster vaccinations, especially in patients after a natural SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Specific cellular immune response and neutralizing antibodies in goats immunized with native or recombinant envelope proteins derived from human T-lymphotropic virus type IIIB and in human immunodeficiency virus-infected men.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.84.14.4994 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 84 (14) ◽

pp. 4994-4998 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

K. Krohn ◽

W. G. Robey ◽

S. Putney ◽

L. Arthur ◽

P. Nara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

Virus Type ◽

Cellular Immune Response ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Envelope Proteins ◽

T Lymphotropic Virus ◽

Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

Specific Cellular Immune Response ◽

Cellular Immune

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Aging: the cellular immune response against autologous and foreign antigens is affected before the humoral response

Immunology Letters ◽

10.1016/0165-2478(93)00051-e ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 40 (3) ◽

pp. 243-250 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

B. Maletto ◽

A. Gruppi ◽

M.C. Pistoresi-Palencia

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Cellular Immune Response ◽

Humoral Response ◽

Cellular Immune

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Modern Conceptions about the Mechanisms of Interaction Between Biofilm and Cellular Immunity Factors

Journal of microbiology epidemiology immunobiology ◽

10.36233/0372-9311-2020-97-1-83-90 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 97 (1) ◽

pp. 83-90

Author(s):

N. M. Shlepotina ◽

M. V. Peshikova ◽

O. L. Kolesnikov ◽

Yu. S. Shishkova

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽

Immune System ◽

Cellular Immunity ◽

Cellular Immune Response ◽

Growth And Development ◽

Microbial Consortium ◽

Significant Negative Effect ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Cellular Immune

Features of the cellular immune response in the presence of a microbial biofilm are well described in the literature. Based on numerous studies, it became possible to establish a number of patterns: mature biofilms are better protected from immune factors, the effectiveness of antibiofilm strategies depends on species of the microorganisms, forming the biofilm, and, accordingly, on the composition of the biopolymer matrix. For example, rhamnolipids and alginate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exert a significant negative effect on the function of immunocompetent cells. The bacteria of biofilms became able to turn to their advantage many of the protective reactions developed by the immune system and fixed evolutionarily, applying them for the growth and development of the microbial consortium.

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HPV Infection: Immunological Aspects and Their Utility in Future Therapy

Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1155/2013/540850 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Efthimios Deligeoroglou ◽

Aikaterini Giannouli ◽

Nikolaos Athanasopoulos ◽

Vasileios Karountzos ◽

Anastasia Vatopoulou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Natural Infection ◽

Humoral Response ◽

Causative Factor ◽

Hpv Infection ◽

Therapeutic Interventions ◽

T Regulatory Cell ◽

Papillomavirus Infection ◽

Cellular Immune

High prevalence and mortality rates of cervical cancer create an imperative need to clarify the uniqueness of HPV (Human Papillomavirus) infection, which serves as the key causative factor in cervical malignancies. Understanding the immunological details and the microenvironment of the infection can be a useful tool for the development of novel therapeutic interventions. Chronic infection and progression to carcinogenesis are sustained by immortalization potential of HPV, evasion techniques, and alterations in the microenvironment of the lesion. Inside the lesion, Toll-like receptors expression becomes irregular; Langerhans cells fail to present the antigens efficiently, tumor-associated macrophages aggregate resulting in an unsuccessful immune response by the host. HPV products also downregulate the expression of microenvironment components which are necessary for natural-killer cells response and antigen presentation to cytotoxic cells. Additionally HPV promotes T-helper cell 2 (Th2) and T-regulatory cell phenotypes and reduces Th1 phenotype, leading to suppression of cellular immunity and lesion progression to cancer. Humoral response after natural infection is inefficient, and neutralizing antibodies are not adequate in many women. Utilizing this knowledge, new endeavors, such as therapeutic vaccination, aim to stimulate cellular immune response against the virus and alter the milieu of the lesion.

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Modern Conceptions about the Mechanisms of Interaction Between Biofilm and Cellular Immunity Factors

Journal of microbiology epidemiology immunobiology ◽

10.36233/0372-9311-2020-1-83-90 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 83-90

Author(s):

N. M. Shlepotina ◽

M. V. Peshikova ◽

O. L. Kolesnikov ◽

Yu. S. Shishkova

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽

Immune System ◽

Cellular Immunity ◽

Cellular Immune Response ◽

Growth And Development ◽

Microbial Consortium ◽

Significant Negative Effect ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Cellular Immune

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Characterization of the Humoral and Cellular Immune Response Against the Natural Infection By Sars-Cov-2 in Oncohematological Patients with Post-COVID19 Autologous Transplantation

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2021-153223 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 5040-5040

Author(s):

Adrián Sánchez-Tornero ◽

Lorena Vigon ◽

Guiomar Casado-Fernandez ◽

Javier Garcia-Pérez ◽

Elena Mateos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

B Cells ◽

Cellular Immune Response ◽

Cellular Response ◽

Natural Infection ◽

Humoral Response ◽

Cellular Cytotoxicity ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Healthy Donors ◽

Cellular Immune

Abstract Background : Oncohematological patients may have a lower immune response against SARS-CoV-2, both to natural infection and to vaccines. Most studies have focused on the analysis of the humoral response, which means that the information available on the cellular response against SARS-CoV-2 in these patients is limited. Current recommendations include vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSTC), regardless of whether they have been previously exposed to the virus. These recommendations are based on previous studies with other vaccines. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the immune response that is developed in these patients in order to make specific recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination. Objective : To study the humoral and cellular immune response before and after AHSTC in patients with oncohematological neoplasms who were exposed to SARS-CoV-2 before the transplantation. Materials & methods : Nine patients with previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 who underwent AHSTC (Table 1) and 8 healthy donors who recovered from mild COVID-19 were recruited from Hospital Ramón y Cajal and Primary Healthcare Center Pedro Laín Entralgo (Madrid, Spain), respectively. Specific direct cellular cytotoxicity (DCC) of PBMCs from these patients against Vero E6 cells infected with pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 was determined. The activation of caspase-3 in Vero cells was measured after 1 hour of co-culture with PBMCs, in which cytotoxic cell populations were analyzed by flow cytometry. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) was analyzed by quantifying the binding of Annexin V to rituximab-coated Raji cells as targets of PBMCs. Results : 1) 66% of AHSTC patients did not develop detectable levels of IgGs against SARS-CoV-2 (Fig. 1). In 33% of these patients with detectable IgG, the titers decreased after AHSTC, as well as their neutralizing capacity (Fig. 1B and C). 2) AHSTC patients showed increased levels of immature B cells (9.5-fold; p=0.0586) and plasmablasts (28.8-fold), in comparison with healthy donors who had mild COVID-19, while naive and resting memory B cells decreased 1.7- and 6.9-fold, respectively. 3) Specific DCC against SARS-CoV-2-infected cells increased 1.5-fold in comparison with healthy donors (Fig. 2A). Cytotoxic populations with NK phenotypes (CD3-CD56+CD16+), NKT (CD3+CD56+CD16+), and CD8+ T cells (CD3+CD8+TCRγδ+) increased 1.9- (p=0.0311), 1.9- (p=0.0592), and 1.6-fold, respectively (Fig. 2B). ADCC increased 2.1-fold in PBMCs from AHSTC patients in comparison with healthy donors (p = 0.0592). Conclusions : Our data show for the first time how the humoral and cellular immune response against the natural infection by SARS-Cov-2 may be modified in patients who were subsequently subjected to AHSTC. Although the humoral response may be reduced after AHSTC, the specific cellular response showed an increased cytotoxic activity. These results could be extrapolated to patients who were vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to AHSTC. Therefore, this information could be useful to define the recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination after AHSTC. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Garcia-Gutiérrez: Pfizer: Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy.

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