Reduced antibody acquisition with increasing age following vaccination with BNT162b2: results from a large study performed in the general population aged 12 to 92 years

Vaccine-induced protection of the population against severe COVID-19, hospitalization and death is of utmost importance, especially in the elderly. However, limited data are available on humoral immune responses following COVID-19 vaccination in the general population across a broad age range. We performed an integrated analysis of the effect of age, sex and prior SARS-CoV-2 infection on Spike S1-specific (S1) IgG concentrations up to three months post BNT162b2 vaccination. 1{middle dot}735 persons, eligible for COVID-19 vaccination through the national program, were recruited from the general population (12 to 92 years old). Sixty percent were female and the median vaccination interval was 35 days (interquartile range, IQR: 35-35). All participants had seroconverted to S1 one month after two doses of vaccine. S1 IgG was higher in participants with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection (median: 4{middle dot}535 BAU/ml, IQR: 2{middle dot}341-7{middle dot}205) compared to infection-naive persons (1{middle dot}842 BAU/ml, 1{middle dot}019-3{middle dot}116) after two doses, p<0.001. In infection-naive persons, linear mixed effects regression showed a strong negative association between age and S1 IgG one month after the first vaccination (p<0.001) across the entire age range. The association was still present after the second vaccination, but less pronounced. Females had higher S1 IgG than males after both the first and second vaccination (p<0.001); although this difference was lower after the second dose. In persons with an infection history, age nor sex was associated with peak S1 IgG. As IgG decreased with age and time since vaccination, older persons may become at risk of infection, especially with escape variants such as Omicron.

SARS-CoV-2 Spike S1-specific IgG kinetic profiles following mRNA- versus vector-based vaccination in the general Dutch population

mRNA- and vector-based vaccines are used at a large scale to prevent COVID-19. We compared Spike S1-specific (S1) IgG antibodies after vaccination with mRNA-based (Comirnaty, Spikevax) or vector-based (Janssen, Vaxzevria) vaccines, using samples from a Dutch nationwide cohort. mRNA vaccines induced faster inclines and higher S1 antibodies compared to vector-based vaccines in adults 18-64 years old (n=2,412). For all vaccines, one dose resulted in boosting of S1 antibodies in adults with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. For Comirnaty, two to four months following the second dose (n=196), S1 antibodies in adults aged 18-64 years old (436 BAU/mL, interquartile range: 328-891) were less variable and median concentrations higher compared to those in persons [≥]80 years old (366, 177-743), but differences were not statistically significant (p>0.100). Nearly all participants seroconverted following COVID-19 vaccination, including the aging population. These data confirm results from controlled vaccine trials in a general population, including vulnerable groups.

Seropositivity to Nucleoprotein to detect SARS-CoV-2 infections: a tool to detect breakthrough infections after COVID-19 vaccination

BackgroundWith COVID-19 vaccine roll-out ongoing in many countries globally, monitoring of breakthrough infections is of great importance. Antibodies persist in the blood after a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Since COVID-19 vaccines induce immune response to the Spike protein of the virus, which is the main serosurveillance target to date, alternative targets should be explored to distinguish infection from vaccination. MethodsMultiplex immunoassay data from 1,513 SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR-tested individuals (352 positive and 1,161 negative) with a primary infection and no vaccination history were used to determine the accuracy of Nucleoprotein-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) in detecting past SARS-CoV-2 infection. We also described Spike S1 and Nucleoprotein-specific IgG responses in 230 COVID-19 vaccinated individuals (Pfizer/BioNTech). ResultsThe sensitivity of Nucleoprotein seropositivity was 85% (95% confidence interval: 80-90%) for mild COVID-19 in the first two months following symptom onset. Sensitivity was lower in asymptomatic individuals (67%, 50-81%). Participants who had experienced a SARS-CoV-2 infection up to 11 months preceding vaccination, as assessed by Spike S1 seropositivity or RT-qPCR, produced 2.7-fold higher median levels of IgG to Spike S1 [≥]14 days after the first dose as compared to those unexposed to SARS-CoV-2 at [≥]7 days after the second dose (p=0.011). Nucleoprotein-specific IgG concentrations were not affected by vaccination in naive participants. ConclusionsSerological responses to Nucleoprotein may prove helpful in identifying SARS-CoV-2 infections after vaccination. Furthermore, it can help interpret IgG to Spike S1 after COVID-19 vaccination as particularly high responses shortly after vaccination could be explained by prior exposure history.

SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody detection for sero-epidemiology: a multiplex analysis approach accounting for accurate seroprevalence

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic demands detailed understanding of the kinetics of antibody production induced by infection with SARS-CoV-2. We aimed to develop a high throughput multiplex assay to detect antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 to assess immunity to the virus in the general population. MethodsSpike protein subunits S1 and RBD, and Nucleoprotein were coupled to distinct microspheres. Sera collected before the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 (N=224), and of non-SARS-CoV-2 influenza-like illness (N=184), and laboratory-confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection (N=115) with various severity of COVID-19 were tested for SARS-CoV-2-specific concentrations of IgG. ResultsOur assay discriminated SARS-CoV-2-induced antibodies and those induced by other viruses. The assay obtained a specificity between 95.1 and 99.0% with a sensitivity ranging from 83.6-95.7%. By merging the test results for all 3 antigens a specificity of 100% was achieved with a sensitivity of at least 90%. Hospitalized COVID-19 patients developed higher IgG concentrations and the rate of IgG production increased faster compared to non-hospitalized cases. ConclusionsThe bead-based serological assay for quantitation of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies proved to be robust and can be conducted in many laboratories. Finally, we demonstrated that testing of antibodies against different antigens increases sensitivity and specificity compared to single antigen-specific IgG determination.