Protective Immunity of COVID-19 Vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Following Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Humoral and Cellular Investigation

• Published in: Viruses Vol. 14; no. 9; p. 1916
• Main Authors: Azamor, Tamiris, Horbach, Ingrid Siciliano, Brito e Cunha, Danielle, Melgaço, Juliana Gil, Silva, Andréa Marques Vieira da, Tubarão, Luciana Neves, Azevedo, Adriana de Souza, Santos, Renata Tourinho, Alves, Nathalia dos Santos, Machado, Thiago Lazari, Silva, Jane, Souza, Alessandro Fonseca de, Bayma, Camilla, Rocha, Vanessa Pimenta, Frederico, Ana Beatriz Teixeira, Dias, Brenda de Moura, Setatino, Bruno Pimenta, Denani, Caio Bidueira, Campos, Samir Pereira da Costa, Schwarcz, Waleska Dias, Sucupira, Michel Vergne, Mendes, Edinea Pastro, Silva, Edimilson Domingos da, Barbosa de Lima, Sheila Maria, Ano Bom, Ana Paula Dinis, Missailidis, Sotiris
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 30.08.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Antibodies; Antibody response; CD4 antigen; cellular and humoral immunity; ChAdOx1 nCoV-19; Clinical trials; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; Humoral immunity; hybrid immunity; Immune response; Immune response (humoral); Immunoglobulin G; Immunological memory; Immunology; Infections; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes B; Memory cells; Middle East respiratory syndrome; Pharmacology, Experimental; Public health; SARS-CoV-2 vaccine; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Vaccination; Viral infections; Viruses; γ-Interferon; Brazil; United States > US; Rio de Janeiro Brazil
• ISSN: 1999-4915; 1999-4915
• DOI: 10.3390/v14091916

Infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 induce a severe acute respiratory syndrome called COVID-19 and have led to more than six million deaths worldwide. Vaccination is the most effective preventative measure, and cellular and humoral immunity is crucial to developing individual protection. Here, we aim to investigate hybrid immunity against SARS-CoV-2 triggered by the ChAadOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a Brazilian cohort. We investigated the immune response from ChAadOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination in naïve (noCOVID-19) and previously infected individuals (COVID-19) by analyzing levels of D-dimers, total IgG, neutralizing antibodies (Nabs), IFN-γ (interferon-γ) secretion, and immunophenotyping of memory lymphocytes. No significant differences in D-dimer levels were observed 7 or 15 days after vaccination (DAV). All vaccinated individuals presented higher levels of total IgG or Nabs with a positive correlation (R = 0.88). Individuals in the COVID-19 group showed higher levels of antibody and memory B cells, with a faster antibody response starting at 7 DAV compared to noCOVID-19 at 15 DAV. Further, ChAadOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination led to enhanced IFN-γ production (15 DAV) and an increase in activated T CD4+ naïve cells in noCOVID-19 individuals in contrast with COVID-19 individuals. Hence, our data support that hybrid immunity triggered by ChAadOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination is associated with enhanced humoral response, together with a balanced cellular response.