The temporal course of T- and B-cell-responses to vaccination with BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273

Markewitz, Robert; Pauli, Daniela; Dargvainiene, Justina; Steinhagen, Katja; Engel, Sarah; Herbst, Victor; Zapf, Dorinja; Krüger, Christina; Sharifzadeh, Shahpour; Schomburg, Benjamin; Leypoldt, Frank; Rupp, Jan; Görg, Siegfried; Junker, Ralf; Wandinger, Klaus-Peter

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the immune systems’ response (and its influencing factors) to vaccination with BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273. METHODS: 531 vaccinees, recruited from health care professionals, donated samples before, in between, and after the administration of the two doses of the vaccine. T- and B-cell responses were examined via Interferon-γ-release assay as well as detection of antibodies against different epitopes of SARS-CoV-2 (S1 and NCP) via ELISA and binding surrogate neutralization assay. Results were correlated with influence factors such as age, sex, prior infection, vaccine received (BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273), and immunosuppression. Furthermore, antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were measured to screen for autoimmune responses following the vaccination with an mRNA vaccine. RESULTS: No markers of immunity against SARS-CoV-2 were found before the first vaccination. Two weeks after it, specific responses against SARS-CoV-2 were already measurable (median±median absolute deviation (MAD): anti-S1 IgG: 195.5±172.7 BAU/ml; IgA: 6.7±4.9 OD; surrogate neutralization: 39±23.7 %), which were significantly increased two weeks after the second dose (anti-S1 IgG: 3744±2571.4 BAU/ml; IgA: 12±0 OD; surrogate neutralization: 100±0 %, IFN-γ: 1897.2±886.7 mIU/ml). Responses were stronger for younger participants (this difference decreasing after the second dose). Further influences were previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 (causing significantly stronger responses after the first dose compared to unexposed individuals (p ≤ 0.0001)) and the vaccine received (significantly stronger reactions for recipients of mRNA-1273 after both doses (p < 0.05 – 0.0001)). Some forms of immunosuppression significantly impeded the immune response to the vaccination (with no observable immune response in three immunosuppressed participants). There was no significant induction of ANA by the vaccination (no change in qualitative ANA results (p = 0.2592), nor ANA titers (p = 0.08) from pre to post vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: Both vaccines elicit strong and specific immune responses against SARS-CoV-2, which become detectable one week (T-cell-response) or two weeks (B-cell-response) after the first dose.