Waning of Humoral Immunity and the Influencing Factors after BNT162b2 Vaccination: A Cohort Study with a Latent Growth Curve Model in Fukushima.

ABSTRACT

Measuring long-term antibody titer kinetics and subsequent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations are crucial for identifying vulnerable populations. Our aim was to determine the association between long-term antibody kinetics, including peak titers and factors, up to seven months post-second vaccination. A three-time antibody survey was conducted in 2021 among healthcare workers in Japan to investigate the changes in humoral immunity using chemiluminescence immunoassay. The study involved 205 participants who had received the second vaccine dose, completed the three-time survey, and were not infected with SARS-CoV-2. A latent growth curve model was used to identify factors affecting the peak titer and decreasing the antibody slope. Of the eligible participants, the mean titers of immunoglobulin G (IgG) against the spike (S) protein and the neutralizing activity 7 months after the second vaccination decreased to 154.3 (8.8% of the peak titer) and 62.1 AU/mL (9.5% of the peak titer), respectively. The IgG growth model showed that age significantly affected peak titers (p < 0.001); however, a significant difference was not found for the decreasing slope. Ultimately, aging adults had significantly low peak antibody titers; however, age was unrelated to the slope of log-transformed IgG against the S protein.