Effects of a booster dose of BNT162b2 on spike-binding antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2, BA.3, BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants in infection-naïve and previously-infected individuals

Timothy G Kuzel; Jia Fu; Mark Anderson; Michael Stec; Michael Boler; Dylan Behun; Amy Gosha; Gavin Cloherty; Alan Landay; James Moy

doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.12.049

Effects of a booster dose of BNT162b2 on spike-binding antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2, BA.3, BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants in infection-naïve and previously-infected individuals

Vaccine. 2023 Jan 23;41(4):879-882. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.12.049. Epub 2022 Dec 24.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Allergy and Immunology and Division of Gerontology, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA; Rush Medical College, Chicago, IL, USA.
² Division of Allergy and Immunology and Division of Gerontology, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA.
³ Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Diagnostics Division, Abbott Park, IL, USA; Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition, Abbott Diagnostics Division, Abbott Park, IL, USA.
⁴ Division of Allergy and Immunology and Division of Gerontology, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: jmoy@rush.edu.

Abstract

It has been demonstrated that after two doses, SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies against Omicron subvariants are much lower than against wild type virus and a booster dose greatly increases Omicron neutralization. We compared Spike-binding IgG responses against wild type virus and four SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants in infection-naïve and previously-infected (hybrid immunity) individuals after the second and the third (booster) dose of BNT162b2. In both groups of individuals, antibodies for all four Omicron subvariants were lower than wild type antibodies. Compared to infection-naïve individuals, hybrid immunity resulted in higher antibodies levels after 2 doses of vaccine but not after the booster. In both groups, antibodies for wild type and all Omicron subvariants waned over an 8-month period post second dose but rebounded after the booster. These results underscore the importance of boosters to restore diminishing antibody levels for both infection-naïve and previously-infected individuals.

Keywords: Antibodies; Booster; Hybrid Immunity; Omicron; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccine.

MeSH terms

Antibodies, Neutralizing
Antibodies, Viral
BNT162 Vaccine*
COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19* / prevention & control
Humans
SARS-CoV-2

Substances

BNT162 Vaccine
COVID-19 Vaccines
Antibodies, Neutralizing
Antibodies, Viral