BMC Infectious Diseases (Jun 2023)

Assessment of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels among university students vaccinated with different COVID-19 primary and booster doses — fall 2021, Wisconsin

  • Peter M. DeJonge,
  • Anastasia S. Lambrou,
  • Hannah E. Segaloff,
  • Allen Bateman,
  • Alana Sterkel,
  • Carol Griggs,
  • Jake Baggott,
  • Patrick Kelly,
  • Natalie Thornburg,
  • Monica Epperson,
  • Rodel Desamu-Thorpe,
  • Glen Abedi,
  • Christopher H. Hsu,
  • Jasmine Y. Nakayama,
  • Jasmine Ruffin,
  • Darlene Turner-Harper,
  • Almea Matanock,
  • Olivia Almendares,
  • Melissa Whaley,
  • Ayan Chakrabarti,
  • Kyle DeGruy,
  • Michele Daly,
  • Ryan Westergaard,
  • Jacqueline E. Tate,
  • Hannah L. Kirking

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-023-08332-7
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. 1
pp. 1 – 14

Abstract

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Abstract Background University students commonly received COVID-19 vaccinations before returning to U.S. campuses in the Fall of 2021. Given likely immunologic variation among students based on differences in type of primary series and/or booster dose vaccine received, we conducted serologic investigations in September and December 2021 on a large university campus in Wisconsin to assess anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels. Methods We collected blood samples, demographic information, and COVID-19 illness and vaccination history from a convenience sample of students. Sera were analyzed for both anti-spike (anti-S) and anti-nucleocapsid (anti-N) antibody levels using World Health Organization standardized binding antibody units per milliliter (BAU/mL). Levels were compared across categorical primary COVID-19 vaccine series received and binary COVID-19 mRNA booster status. The association between anti-S levels and time since most recent vaccination dose was estimated by mixed-effects linear regression. Results In total, 356 students participated, of whom 219 (61.5%) had received a primary vaccine series of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines and 85 (23.9%) had received vaccines from Sinovac or Sinopharm. Median anti-S levels were significantly higher for mRNA primary vaccine series recipients (2.90 and 2.86 log [BAU/mL], respectively), compared with those who received Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines (1.63 and 1.95 log [BAU/mL], respectively). Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccine recipients were associated with a significantly faster anti-S decline over time, compared with mRNA vaccine recipients (P <.001). By December, 48/172 (27.9%) participants reported receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster, which reduced the anti-S antibody discrepancies between primary series vaccine types. Conclusions Our work supports the benefit of heterologous boosting against COVID-19. COVID-19 mRNA vaccine booster doses were associated with increases in anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels; following an mRNA booster dose, students with both mRNA and non-mRNA primary series receipt were associated with comparable levels of anti-S IgG.

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