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. 2025 Jul 11;231(6):e1146-e1150.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaf149.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Humoral Antibody Responses in Older Adults After Vaccination or Infection

Edward E Walsh  1 , Michael Peasley  1 , Angela R Branche  1 , Ann R Falsey  1
Affiliations

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Humoral Antibody Responses in Older Adults After Vaccination or Infection

Edward E Walsh et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Immunity to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is short lived following infection. We determined if recently licensed RSV preF vaccines induce better immune responses than infection.

Methods: Serum preF binding and neutralizing antibody to RSV A and B was measured in older adults at baseline and 30 days after RSV infection or vaccination with 2 licensed RSV preF protein vaccines.

Results: Vaccination induced higher serum preF binding antibody and neutralizing responses than RSV infection (A2 RSV, 3306 vs 1254, P < .0001; B1 RSV, 5153 vs 2186, P < .0001).

Conclusions: Vaccination with preF protein vaccines induce better humoral immune responses than RSV infection in older adult.

Keywords: RSV infection; RSV preF vaccines; adults; humoral antibody response.

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Conflict of interest statement

Potential conflicts of interest. E. W. has had grant support from Merck, Pfizer, and Moderna; and serves on advisory boards to Merck, Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and GSK. A. F. has had grant support from AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Moderna; and serves on advisory panels to Pfizer, GSK, AstraZeneca, and Moderna. A. B. has grant support from Pfizer, Moderna, and Cyanvac; and is a consultant to Moderna, GSK, and Sanofi. M. P. reports no potential conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Serum geometric mean titers (GMT) with 95% confidence intervals and geometric fold rise (GMFR) of antibody responses to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) preF vaccination (orange bars) or infection (blue bars). A, Binding antibody to preFA and preFB prior to (day 0) and 1 month after (day 30) vaccination or infection. B, Neutralizing antibody responses to group A RSV (MNA2) and group B RSV (MNB1) at day 0 and day 30 after vaccination and infection.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Walsh EE, Pérez Marc G, Zareba AM, et al. Efficacy and safety of a bivalent RSV prefusion F vaccine in older adults. N Engl J Med 2023; 388:1465–77. - PubMed
    1. Wilson E, Goswami J, Baqui AH, et al. Efficacy and safety of an mRNA-based RSV preF vaccine in older adults. N Engl J Med 2023; 389:2233–44. - PubMed

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