Frontiers in Immunology (Oct 2022)

Humoral and cellular immune responses to CoronaVac up to one year after vaccination

  • Priscilla Ramos Costa,
  • Carolina Argondizo Correia,
  • Mariana Prado Marmorato,
  • Juliana Zanatta de Carvalho Dias,
  • Mateus Vailant Thomazella,
  • Amanda Cabral da Silva,
  • Ana Carolina Soares de Oliveira,
  • Arianne Fagotti Gusmão,
  • Lilian Ferrari,
  • Angela Carvalho Freitas,
  • Elizabeth González Patiño,
  • Alba Grifoni,
  • Daniela Weiskopf,
  • Alessandro Sette,
  • Alessandro Sette,
  • Rami Scharf,
  • Esper Georges Kallás,
  • Esper Georges Kallás,
  • Cássia Gisele Terrassani Silveira

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1032411
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Coronavac is a widely used SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine, but its long-term immune response assessment is still lacking. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2-specific immune responses, including T cell activation markers, antigen-specific cytokine production and antibody response following vaccination in 53 adult and elderly individuals participating in a phase 3 clinical trial. Activated follicular helper T (Tfh), non-Tfh and memory CD4+ T cells were detected in almost all subjects early after the first vaccine dose. Activated memory CD4+ T cells were predominantly of central and effector memory T cell phenotypes and were sustained for at least 6 months. We also detected a balanced Th1-, Th2- and Th17/Th22-type cytokine production that was associated with response over time, together with particular cytokine profile linked to poor responses in older vaccinees. SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG levels peaked 14 days after the second dose and were mostly stable over one year. CoronaVac was able to induce a potent and durable antiviral antigen-specific cellular response and the cytokine profiles related to the response over time and impacted by the senescence were defined.

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