Humoral Responses against BQ.1.1 Elicited after Breakthrough Infection and SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination
Alexandra Tauzin,
Mehdi Benlarbi,
Halima Medjahed,
Yves Grégoire,
Josée Perreault,
Gabrielle Gendron-Lepage,
Laurie Gokool,
Chantal Morrisseau,
Pascale Arlotto,
Cécile Tremblay,
Daniel E. Kaufmann,
Valérie Martel-Laferrière,
Inès Levade,
Marceline Côté,
Gaston De Serres,
Renée Bazin,
Andrés Finzi
Affiliations
Alexandra Tauzin
Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
Mehdi Benlarbi
Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
Halima Medjahed
Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
Yves Grégoire
Héma-Québec, Affaires Médicales et Innovation, Quebec, QC G1V 5C3, Canada
Josée Perreault
Héma-Québec, Affaires Médicales et Innovation, Quebec, QC G1V 5C3, Canada
Gabrielle Gendron-Lepage
Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
Laurie Gokool
Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
Chantal Morrisseau
Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
Pascale Arlotto
Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
Cécile Tremblay
Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
Daniel E. Kaufmann
Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
Valérie Martel-Laferrière
Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
Inès Levade
Laboratoire de Santé Publique du Québec, Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3R5, Canada
Marceline Côté
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, and Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
Gaston De Serres
Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec, Quebec, QC H2P 1E2, Canada
Renée Bazin
Héma-Québec, Affaires Médicales et Innovation, Quebec, QC G1V 5C3, Canada
Andrés Finzi
Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
The Omicron BQ.1.1 variant is now the major SARS-CoV-2 circulating strain in many countries. Because of the many mutations present in its Spike glycoprotein, this variant is resistant to humoral responses elicited by monovalent mRNA vaccines. With the goal to improve immune responses against Omicron subvariants, bivalent mRNA vaccines have recently been approved in several countries. In this study, we measure the capacity of plasma from vaccinated individuals, before and after a fourth dose of mono- or bivalent mRNA vaccine, to recognize and neutralize the ancestral (D614G) and the BQ.1.1 Spikes. Before and after the fourth dose, we observe a significantly better recognition and neutralization of the ancestral Spike. We also observe that fourth-dose vaccinated individuals who have been recently infected better recognize and neutralize the BQ.1.1 Spike, independently of the mRNA vaccine used, than donors who have never been infected or have an older infection. Our study supports that hybrid immunity, generated by vaccination and a recent infection, induces higher humoral responses than vaccination alone, independently of the mRNA vaccine used.
