Kinetics of dried blood spot-measured anti-SARS-CoV2 Spike IgG in mRNA-vaccinated healthcare workers

IntroductionOne of the major criticisms facing the research community during SARS-CoV2 pandemic was the lack of large-scale, longitudinal data on the efficacy of the SARS-CoV2 mRNA vaccines. Currently, even if COVID-19 antiviral treatments have been authorized by European Medicine Agency, prevention through approved specific vaccines is the best approach available in order to contain the ongoing pandemic. ObjectivesHere, we studied the antibody kinetic over a one-year period from vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech (Pfizer) vaccines and subsequent boosting with either the BioNTech or Moderna (Spikevax) vaccines in a large cohort of 8,071 healthcare workers (HCW). We also described the impact of SARS-CoV2 infection on antibody kinetic over the same period. MethodsWe assessed the anti SARS-CoV2 Spike IgG antibody kinetic by the high throughput dried blood spot (DBS) collection method and the GSP (R)/DELFIA (R) Anti-SARS-CoV2 IgG assay (PerkinElmer (R)). ResultsOur data support existing models showing that SARS-CoV2 vaccination elicits strong initial antibodies responses that decline with time but are transitorily increased by administering a vaccine booster. We also showed that using heterologous vaccine/booster combinations a stronger antibody response was elicited than utilizing a booster from the same vaccine manufacturer. Furthermore, by considering the impact of SARS-CoV2 infection occurrence in proximity to the scheduled booster administration, we confirmed that booster dose did not contribute significantly to elicit higher antibody responses. ConclusionDBS sampling in our large population of HCWs was fundamental to collect a large number of specimens and to clarify the effective mRNA vaccine-induced antibody kinetic and the role of both heterologous boosters and SARS-CoV2 infection in modulating antibody responses.

Automated summary

This study investigated the antibody kinetics in a large cohort of healthcare workers vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech and subsequently boosted with either BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, as well as the impact of SARS-CoV2 infection on antibody dynamics. The results showed that vaccination elicited strong initial antibody responses that declined over time, but could be temporarily increased by booster doses. Heterologous vaccine/booster combinations induced stronger antibody responses than boosters from the same manufacturer. Additionally, SARS-CoV2 infection did not significantly contribute to higher antibody responses.