Antibody Response Prolonged With COVID-19 Vaccine-Associated Symptoms

MONDAY, March 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Messenger RNA severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination leads to transient antibody response, with more sustained response for mRNA-1273 than BNT162b2, for those experiencing vaccine-associated symptoms, and for those with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to a study published online Feb. 4 in Vaccines.

Kevin D. Dieckhaus, M.D., from UConn Health in Farmington, Connecticut, and colleagues examined the dynamics between vaccine products, prior SARS-CoV-2 illness, and incidence of vaccine-associated adverse reactions on antibody decay over time in health care workers at a university medical center. A cohort of 296 health care workers received standard two-dose vaccination with BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 and were assessed after two, six, and nine months. Participants were classified according to antibody decay curve into steep and gentle decliners.

The researchers found that compared with vaccination with BNT162b2, vaccination with mRNA-1273 led to more sustained antibody responses. The likelihood of experiencing a more prolonged neutralizing antibody response was increased among individuals experiencing vaccine-associated symptoms. Individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to experience vaccination-associated symptoms after first vaccination and were also more likely to have a more blunted decay of antibodies.

"Prior infection with COVID meant you were more likely to have a sustained immune response," Dieckhaus said in a statement. "It definitely set your immune system to respond in a more vigorous way to the vaccination."

Abstract/Full Text