Vaccination After SARS-CoV-2 Infection Increased Antibody Avidity Against the Omicron Variant Compared to Vaccination Alone

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 226; no. 10; pp. 1712 - 1716
• Main Authors: LeMaster, Cas, Geanes, Eric S, Fraley, Elizabeth R, Selvarangan, Rangaraj, Bradley, Todd
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 11.11.2022
• Subjects: Antibodies, Neutralizing; Antibodies, Viral; Antibody Affinity; Antibody response; Avidity; Brief Report; COVID-19; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 Vaccines; Humans; mRNA; mRNA Vaccines; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Vaccination; Vaccines; Viral Vaccines; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; vaccine; antibody response
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac247

Abstract The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has caused infections among individuals vaccinated or with prior COVID-19, suggesting immune escape. Here, we showed a decrease in binding and surrogate neutralizing antibody responses to the Omicron variant after 2 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. Individuals recovered from infection before vaccination had higher antibody levels and avidity to the Omicron variant compared to individuals vaccinated without infection. This suggested that COVID-19 infection before vaccination elicited a higher magnitude and affinity antibody response to the Omicron variant, and repeated exposure through infection or vaccine may be required to improve immunity to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Individuals recovered from COVID-19 had increased magnitude and avidity of the antibody response to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant after vaccination compared to those with no prior infection. Thus, repeated immunization with SARS-CoV-2 spike could increase antibody breadth to emerging variants.