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. 2022 May 27;10(6):862.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines10060862.

Antibody Response in Healthcare Workers before and after the Third Dose of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine: A Pilot Study

Alessandra Panico  1 , Giambattista Lobreglio  2 , Francesco Bagordo  3 , Antonella Zizza  4 , Antonella De Donno  1 , Chiara Rosato  2 , Roberta Lazzari  2 , Michele Chicone  2 , Floriano Indino  2 , Virginia Recchia  4 , Pietro Alifano  1 , Tiziana Grassi  1
Affiliations

Antibody Response in Healthcare Workers before and after the Third Dose of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine: A Pilot Study

Alessandra Panico et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic led to the development of various vaccines. The BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine was the first approved due to its efficacy in eliciting a humoral immunity response after the second dose. However, a decrease in the antibody concentration was observed over time. Therefore, the administration of a third dose was scheduled, primarily for frail people and workers of essential public activities. The aim of this study was to assess the level of antibodies against the spike (S) RBD of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare workers before and after the third dose of BNT162b2 vaccine, according to sex, age, and the time interval between vaccine doses and tests. All 37 (12 males, 25 females, 19 < 50 years old, 18 ≥ 50 years old) healthcare workers recruited showed a consistent antibody titer increase after the third dose. Data analysis showed that the antibody concentration before the third dose significantly decreased as the time interval up to the test increased, and a significantly higher level was shown in young than older people. Cluster analysis revealed that young females had a higher antibody level than older females before the third dose (p < 0.05). This study indicated the benefit of the third dose of BNT162b2 vaccine and its effect on leveling up the humoral immune response.

Keywords: BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine; SARS-CoV-2; booster dose; healthcare workers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timeline of vaccine doses and testing with mean time interval ± SD (days).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Boxplot showing the distribution of antibody concentration in analyzed subjects before (Test1) and after the third dose (Test2). Green circles represent the outliers.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Clustered multiple comparison graph showing the minimum, maximum, median, and outliers (green circles), as well as the distribution of antibody concentration as an interquartile range (each segment or rectangle) in analyzed subjects according to gender and age group before the third dose of vaccine.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Clustered multiple comparison graph showing the minimum, maximum, median, and outliers (green circles), as well as the distribution of antibody concentration as an interquartile range (each segment or rectangle) in analyzed subjects according to gender and age group after the third dose of vaccine.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Linear correlation between the level of antibodies detected at Test1 and the time (days) elapsing from the second dose.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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