March 1, 2021

Effect of Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Humoral and T-Cell Responses to Single-Dose BNT162b2 Vaccine

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Vaccines and Immunity

Keywords (Tags): vaccines

• Individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection generated strong humoral and cellular responses following a single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, according to an analysis of specimens from healthcare workers in the UK (n = 72).  Individuals who had not been previously infected showed weaker T-cell responses and generated lower neutralizing antibody titers (median 615.1 vs. 16353 arbitrary units [AU]/mL). Using a T-cell enzyme-linked immunospot assay, vaccine recipients with evidence of prior infection at baseline (n=21) were found to have strong T-cell responses to spike peptides, whereas responses were significantly weaker among infection-naive vaccine recipients (n=30). 24 (50%) of 48 all recipients generated responses that could be considered negative. 

Prendecki et al. (Feb 26, 2021). Effect of Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Humoral and T-Cell Responses to Single-Dose BNT162b2 Vaccine. The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00502-X