Vaccines (Feb 2022)

Modelling SARS-CoV-2 Binding Antibody Waning 8 Months after BNT162b2 Vaccination

  • Angelos Hatzakis,
  • Andreas Karabinis,
  • Sotirios Roussos,
  • Nikos Pantazis,
  • Dimitrios Degiannis,
  • Antigoni Chaidaroglou,
  • Konstantinos Petsios,
  • Ioanna Pavlopoulou,
  • Sotirios Tsiodras,
  • Dimitrios Paraskevis,
  • Vana Sypsa,
  • Mina Psichogiou

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10020285
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 2
p. 285

Abstract

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Several lines of evidence suggest that binding SARS-CoV-2 antibodies such as anti-SARS-CoV-2 RBD IgG (anti-RBD) and neutralising antibodies (NA) are correlates of protection against SARS-CoV-2, and the correlation of anti-RBD and NA is very high. The effectiveness (VE) of BNT162b2 in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection wanes over time, and this reduction is mainly associated with waning immunity, suggesting that the kinetics of antibodies reduction might be of interest to predict VE. In a study of 97 health care workers (HCWs) vaccinated with the BNT162b2 vaccine, we assessed the kinetics of anti-RBD 30–250 days after vaccination using 388 individually matched plasma samples. Anti-RBD levels declined by 85%, 92%, and 95% at the 4th, 6th, and 8th month from the peak, respectively. The kinetics were estimated using the trajectories of anti-RBD by various models. The restricted cubic splines model had a better fit to the observed data. The trajectories of anti-RBD declines were statistically significantly lower for risk factors of severe COVID-19 and the absence of vaccination side effects. Moreover, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with divergent trajectories consistent with a slower anti-RBD decline over time. These results suggest that anti-RBD may serve as a harbinger for vaccine effectiveness (VE), and it should be explored as a predictor of breakthrough infections and VE.

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