Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Oct 17:14:1271353.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1271353. eCollection 2023.

Specific immune responses after BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination and COVID-19 infection

Simona Arientová  1 , Kateřina Matúšková  1 , Oldřich Bartoš  2 , Michal Holub  1 , Ondřej Beran  1
Affiliations

Specific immune responses after BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination and COVID-19 infection

Simona Arientová et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

Although vaccines against COVID-19 are effective tools in preventing severe disease, recent studies have shown enhanced protection after vaccine boosters. The aim of our study was to examine the dynamics and duration of both humoral and cellular immune responses following a three-dose regimen of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. In a longitudinal prospective study we enrolled 86 adults who received the BNT162b2 vaccine, 35 unvaccinated individuals with a history of mild COVID-19 and a control group of 30 healthy SARS-CoV-2 seronegative persons. We assessed the SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses and IgG production up to 12 months post the third BNT162b2 dose in 24 subjects. The vaccinated group had significantly higher IgG antibody levels after two doses compared to the convalescent group (p<0.001). After the third dose, IgG levels surged beyond those detected after the second dose (p<0.001). Notably, these elevated IgG levels were maintained 12 months post the third dose. After two doses, specific T cell responses were detected in 87.5% of the vaccinated group. Additionally, there was a significant decrease before the third dose. However, post the third dose, specific T cell responses surged and remained stable up to the 12-month period. Our findings indicate that the BNT162b2 vaccine induces potent and enduring humoral and cellular responses, which are notably enhanced by the third dose and remain persistant without a significant decline a year after the booster. Further research is essential to understand the potential need for subsequent boosters.

Keywords: BNT162b2; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; T cell immunity; humoral immunity; vaccination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The overview of blood sampling time points (T) in the cohorts. (A) illustrates the timing of the blood draw for 35 patients with a history of mild COVID-19. Samples were collected 1-3 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection (T1). (B) shows blood sampling of the group of 86 vaccinated individuals post their second vaccine dose. (C) provides blood draw schedule for the group of 24 patients who underwent the complete follow-up after receiving all three doses of the mRNA vaccine. Samples were collected 1-3 months after the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine (T1), 8-9 months after the second dose (T2), 1 month after the third dose (T3) and 10-12 months after the third dose (T4).
Figure 2
Figure 2
SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific IgG levels after vaccination with the second dose (D2) and the third dose (D3) of the BNT162b2 vaccine. Samples were collected from 24 patients 1-3 months after D2 (T1), 8-9 months after D2 (T2), 1 month after D3 (T3) and 10-12 months after D3 (T4). *** denote P values less than 0.001.
Figure 3
Figure 3
SARS-CoV-2-specific INF-gamma T-cell responses after vaccination with the second dose (D2) and the third dose (D3) of the BNT162b2 vaccine. Samples were collected from 24 patients 1-3 months after D2 (T1), 8-9 months after D2 (T2), 1 month after D3 (T3) and 10-12 months after D3 (T4). *** denote P values less than 0.001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tao K, Tzou PL, Nouhin J, Gupta RK, de Oliveira T, Kosakovsky Pond SL, et al. The biological and clinical significance of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Nat Rev Genet (2021) 22(12):757–73. doi: 10.1038/s41576-021-00408-x - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Thompson MG, Burgess JL, Naleway AL, Tyner H, Yoon SK, Meece J, et al. Prevention and attenuation of Covid-19 with the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 vaccines. N Engl J Med (2021) 385(4):320–9. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2107058 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Polack FP, Thomas SJ, Kitchin N, Absalon J, Gurtman A, Lockhart S, et al. Safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 vaccine. N Engl J Med (2020) 383(27):2603–15. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2034577 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Graña C, Ghosn L, Evrenoglou T, Jarde A, Minozzi S, Bergman H, et al. Efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2022) 12(12):CD015477. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD015477 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Moss P. The T cell immune response against SARS-CoV-2. Nat Immunol (2022) 23(2):186–93. doi: 10.1038/s41590-021-01122-w - DOI - PubMed

Publication types