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. 2023 Nov 30;11(12):1796.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines11121796.

BNT162b2 Booster Dose Elicits a Robust Antibody Response in Subjects with Abdominal Obesity and Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Alexis Elias Malavazos  1   2 , Carola Dubini  1 , Valentina Milani  3 , Sara Boveri  3 , Chiara Meregalli  1 , Caterina Bertolini  4 , Carola Buscemi  5   6 , Rosanna Cardani  7 , Laura Valentina Renna  7 , Manuel Bruno Trevisan  1 , Valentina Scravaglieri  1 , Maria Teresa Cuppone  8 , Lorenzo Menicanti  8 , Elena Costa  9 , Federico Ambrogi  3   10 , Chiara Ruocco  11 , Michele Carruba  11 , Gianluca Iacobellis  12 , Enzo Nisoli  11 , Massimiliano Marco Corsi Romanelli  13   14
Affiliations

BNT162b2 Booster Dose Elicits a Robust Antibody Response in Subjects with Abdominal Obesity and Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Alexis Elias Malavazos et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Little is known about the long-term durability of the induced immune response in subjects with obesity, particularly in those with an abdominal distribution of adipose tissue. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses after BNT162b2 vaccine booster dose, comparing individuals with and without abdominal obesity (AO), discerning between individuals previously infected or not. IgG-TrimericS were measured in 511 subjects at baseline, on the 21st day after vaccine dose 1, and at 1, 3, 6, and 9 months from dose 2, and at 1 and 3 months following the booster dose. To detect SARS-CoV-2 infection, nucleocapsid antibodies were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. Multivariable linear regression evaluated the three-month difference in the absolute variation in IgG-TrimericS levels from booster dose, showing AO and SARS-CoV-2 infection status interactions (p = 0.016). Regardless of possible confounding factors and IgG-TrimericS levels at the booster dose, AO is associated with a higher absolute change in IgG-TrimericS in prior infected individuals (p = 0.0125). In the same regression model, no interaction is highlighted using BMI (p = 0.418). The robust response in the development of antibodies after booster dose, observed in people with AO and previous infection, may support the recommendations to administer a booster dose in this population group.

Keywords: BMI; BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine; COVID-19; IgG-TrimericS; abdominal obesity; antibody response; booster dose; obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study timeline. This figure shows all the events of the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Study population flow diagram.
Figure 3
Figure 3
IgG-TrimericS antibody response to mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in subjects affected or not by abdominal obesity according to infection status. Infection-naïve individuals (green), individuals with prior infection (red), and individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 after booster dose (black). Abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥ 102 cm for men, ≥88 cm for women); no abdominal obesity (waist circumference < 102 cm for men, <88 cm for women).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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