Abstract

Several clinical trials have shown that the humoral response produced by anti-spike antibodies elicited by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines gradually declines. The kinetics, durability and influence of epidemiological and clinical factors on cellular immunity have not been fully elucidated. We analyzed cellular immune responses elicited by BNT162b2 mRNA vaccines in 321 health care workers using whole blood interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release assays. IFN-γ, induced by CD4 + and CD8 + T cells stimulated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike epitopes (Ag2), levels were highest at 3 weeks after the second vaccination (6 W) and decreased by 37.4% at 3 months (4 M) and 60.0% at 6 months (7 M), the decline of which seemed slower than that of anti-spike antibody levels. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the levels of IFN-γ induced by Ag2 at 7 M were significantly correlated with age, dyslipidemia, focal adverse reactions to full vaccination, lymphocyte and monocyte counts in whole blood, Ag2 levels before the second vaccination, and Ag2 levels at 6 W. We clarified the dynamics and predictive factors for the long-lasting effects of cellular immune responses. The results emphasize the need for a booster vaccine from the perspective of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-elicited cellular immunity.

Details

Title
Waning cellular immune responses and predictive factors in maintaining cellular immunity against SARS-CoV-2 six months after BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination
Author
Ishii, Takashi 1 ; Hamada, Kensuke 1 ; Jubishi, Daisuke 2 ; Hashimoto, Hideki 2 ; Okamoto, Koh 2 ; Hisasue, Naoko 1 ; Sunohara, Mitsuhiro 1 ; Saito, Minako 1 ; Shinohara, Takayuki 2 ; Yamashita, Marie 2 ; Wakimoto, Yuji 2 ; Otani, Amato 2 ; Ikeda, Mahoko 3 ; Harada, Sohei 4 ; Okugawa, Shu 2 ; Moriya, Kyoji 1 ; Yanagimoto, Shintaro 1 

 The University of Tokyo, Division for Health Service Promotion, Bunkyo, TokyoTokyo, Japan (GRID:grid.26999.3d) (ISNI:0000 0001 2151 536X) 
 The University of Tokyo Hospital, Department of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan (GRID:grid.412708.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 1764 7572) 
 The University of Tokyo Hospital, Department of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan (GRID:grid.412708.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 1764 7572); The University of Tokyo Hospital, Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Tokyo, Japan (GRID:grid.412708.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 1764 7572) 
 The University of Tokyo Hospital, Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Tokyo, Japan (GRID:grid.412708.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 1764 7572) 
Pages
9607
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2825599989
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2023. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.