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. 2022 Mar 16;60(3):e0219921.
doi: 10.1128/jcm.02199-21. Epub 2022 Jan 12.

A Pilot Study for the Evaluation of an Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) To Measure T-Cell Immune Responses after SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Vaccination in a Unique Cloistered Cohort

Pablo Barreiro  1 , Juan Carlos Sanz  1 , Jesús San Román  1 , Marta Pérez-Abeledo  1 , Mar Carretero  1 , Gregoria Megías  2 , José Manuel Viñuela-Prieto  1 , Belén Ramos  1 , Jesús Canora  1 , Francisco Javier Martínez-Peromingo  1 , Raquel Barba  1 , Antonio Zapatero  1 , Francisco Javier Candel  1
Affiliations

A Pilot Study for the Evaluation of an Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) To Measure T-Cell Immune Responses after SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Vaccination in a Unique Cloistered Cohort

Pablo Barreiro et al. J Clin Microbiol. .

Abstract

Assessment of T-cell responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigens may be of value to determine long-lasting protection to breakthrough infections or reinfections. Interferon gamma release assay is a validated method to test cellular immunity in mycobacterial infections and has been proposed for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination. Quantitative IgG to spike and qualitative IgG to nucleocapsid antigens were determined by chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay using the Architect platform (Abbott), and interferon gamma release assays against two Qiagen proprietary mixes of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (antigen 1 and antigen 2) were performed for a selected group of subjects. A total of 121 subjects in a cloistered institution after a COVID-19 outbreak was studied. IgG spike levels and interferon gamma concentrations were highest among subjects after two doses of vaccine, followed by patients with a longer history of past COVID-19 and no vaccination. The best cutoff for the interferon gamma assay was 25 IU/L for all subgroups of individuals and the two sets of SARS-CoV-2 antigens studied. Testing T-cell response may be of clinical utility to determine immunity after exposure to SARS-CoV-2 antigens, with the interferon gamma concentration of 25 IU/L as the best cutoff either after infection or vaccination.

Keywords: COVID-19; IGRA; SARS-CoV-2; interferon gamma release assay; serology; vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

We declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIG 1
FIG 1
Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) concentration in the different groups studied by IFN-γ release assay (IGRA).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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