Elsevier

eBioMedicine

Volume 89, March 2023, 104475
eBioMedicine

Articles
Durability and breadth of neutralisation following multiple antigen exposures to SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104475Get rights and content
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Summary

Background

Given the importance of vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the prevention of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), detailed long-term analyses of neutralising antibody responses are required to inform immunisation strategies.

Methods

In this study, longitudinal neutralising antibody titres to an ancestral SARS-CoV-2 isolate and cross-neutralisation to delta and omicron isolates were analysed in individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, vaccinated against COVID-19, or a complex mix thereof with up to two years of follow-up.

Findings

Both infection-induced and vaccine-induced neutralising responses against SARS-CoV-2 appeared to follow similar decay patterns. Following vaccination in previously infected individuals, neutralising antibody responses were more durable than prior to vaccination. Further, this study shows that vaccination after infection, as well as booster vaccination, increases the cross-neutralising potential to both delta and omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Interpretation

Taken together, these results suggest that neither type of antigen exposure is superior for neutralising antibody durability. However, these results support vaccination to increase the durability and cross-neutralisation potential of neutralising responses, thereby enhancing protection against severe COVID-19.

Funding

This work was supported by grants from The Capital Region of Denmark’s Research Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Independent Research Fund Denmark, the Candys Foundation, and the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education.

Keywords

Neutralising antibody
SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
Longitudinal
Cross-neutralisation
Delta
Omicron
Virus isolate

Cited by (0)

e

Contributed equally to this manuscript.

f

Contributed equally to this manuscript.