Avidity maturation of humoral response following primary and booster doses of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine among nursing home residents and healthcare workers.

ABSTRACT

Infections, despite vaccination, can be clinically consequential for frail nursing home residents (NHR). Poor vaccine-induced antibody quality may add risk for such subsequent infections and more severe disease. We assessed antibody binding avidity, as a surrogate for antibody quality, among NHR and healthcare workers (HCW). We longitudinally sampled 112 NHR and 52 HCWs who received the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine after each dose up to the Wuhan-BA.4/5-based Omicron bivalent boosters. We quantified anti-spike, anti-receptor binding domain (RBD), and avidity levels to the ancestral Wuhan, Delta, and Omicron BA.1 & 4/5 strains. The primary vaccination series produced substantial anti-spike and RBD levels which were low in avidity against all strains tested. Antibody avidity progressively increased in the 6-8 months that followed. Avidity significantly increased after the 1st booster but not for subsequent boosters. This study underscores the importance of booster vaccination among NHR and HCWs. The 1st booster dose increases avidity, increasing vaccine-induced functional antibody. The higher cross-reactivity of higher avidity antibodies to other SARS-CoV-2 strains should translate to better protection from ever-evolving strains. Higher avidities may help explain how the vaccine's protective effects persist despite waning antibody titers after each vaccine dose.