Protective heterologous T cell immunity in COVID-19 induced by the trivalent MMR and Tdap vaccine antigens

Background: T cells control viral infection, promote vaccine durability, and in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associate with mild disease. We investigated whether prior measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) or tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) vaccination elicits cross-reactive T cells that mitigate COVID-19. Methods: Antigen-presenting cells (APC) loaded ex vivo with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), MMR, or Tdap antigens and autologous T cells from COVID-19-convalescent participants, uninfected individuals, and COVID-19 mRNA-vaccinated donors were co-cultured. T cell activation and phenotype were detected by interferon -g (IFN-g) enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assays and flow cytometry. ELISAs (enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays) and validation studies identified the APC-derived cytokine(s) driving T cell activation. TCR clonotyping and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) identified cross-reactive T cells and their transcriptional profile. A propensity-weighted analysis of COVID-19 patients estimated the effects of MMR and Tdap vaccination on COVID-19 outcomes. Findings: High correlation was observed between T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 (spike-S1 and nucleocapsid) and MMR and Tdap proteins in COVID-19-convalescent and-vaccinated individuals. The overlapping T cell population contained an effector memory T cell subset (effector memory re-expressing CD45RA on T cells [TEMRA]) implicated in protective, anti-viral immunity, and their detection required APCderived IL-15, known to sensitize T cells to activation. Cross-reactive TCR repertoires detected in antigen-experienced T cells recognizing SARS-CoV-2, MMR, and Tdap epitopes had TEMRA features. Indices of disease severity were reduced in MMR-or Tdap-vaccinated individuals by 32%-38% and 20%-23%, respectively, among COVID-19 patients. Conclusions: Tdap and MMR memory T cells reactivated by SARS-CoV2 may provide protection against severe COVID-19.

Automated summary

The study found that individuals previously vaccinated with MMR or Tdap vaccines had reduced severity of COVID-19. There was a high correlation between T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 and MMR, Tdap proteins in COVID-19 convalescent and vaccinated individuals, indicating that cross-reactive T cells may provide protection through reactivation.