A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Vaccine-Induced Antibody Responses against SARS-CoV-2 Variants-Of-Concern Six Months after the BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination
Authors: Jalkanen Pinja, Kolehmainen Pekka, Haveri Anu, Huttunen Moona, Laine Larissa, Österlund Pamela, Tähtinen Paula A., Ivaska Lauri, Maljanen Sari, Reinholm Arttu, Belik Milja, Smura Teemu, Häkkinen Hanni K., Ortamo Eeva, Kantele Anu, Julkunen Ilkka, Lempainen Johanna, Kakkola Laura
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Publication year: 2022
Journal: Microbiology spectrum
Journal name in source: Microbiology Spectrum
Article number: e02252-21
Volume: 10
Issue: 2
eISSN: 2165-0497
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02252-21
Web address : https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.02252-21
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/175539192
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants has raised concern about increased transmissibility, infectivity, and immune evasion from a vaccine and infection-induced immune responses. Although COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have proven to be highly effective against severe COVID-19 disease, the decrease in vaccine efficacy against emerged Beta and Delta variants emphasizes the need for constant monitoring of new virus lineages and studies on the persistence of vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies. To analyze the dynamics of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-induced antibody responses, we followed 52 health care workers in Finland for 6 months after receiving two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine with a 3-week interval. We demonstrate that, although anti-S1 antibody levels decrease 2.3-fold compared to peak antibody levels, anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies persist for months after BNT162b2 vaccination. Variants D614G, Alpha, and Eta are neutralized by sera of 100% of vaccinees, whereas neutralization of Delta is 3.8-fold reduced and neutralization of Beta is 5.8-fold reduced compared to D614G. Despite this reduction, 85% of sera collected 6 months postvaccination neutralizes Delta variant.
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