Antibody response to BTN162b2 mRNA vaccination in naïve versus SARS-CoV-2 infected subjects with and without waning immunity

Abstract

We profiled antibody responses in a cohort of recipients of the BTN162b2 mRNA vaccine who were either immunologically naïve (n=50) or had been previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 (n=51). Of the previously infected, 25 and 26 were infected during the first and second pandemic waves in Italy, respectively; the majority of those from the first wave had corresponding waning immunity with low to undetectable levels of anti-S antibodies and low anti-N antibodies. We observed in recipients who had been previously infected that spike-specific IgG and pseudovirus neutralization titers were rapidly recalled by a single vaccine dose to higher levels than those in naïve recipients after the second vaccine dose, irrespective of waning immunity. In all recipients, a single vaccine dose was sufficient to induce a potent IgA response that was not associated with serum neutralization titers.