May 3, 2021

Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection Rescues B and T Cell Responses to Variants after First Vaccine Dose

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Vaccines and Immunity

Keywords (Tags): immunity, vaccine

• An analysis of B and T cell responses in healthcare workers who received one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine showed that individuals with prior infection had enhanced T cell immunity and neutralizing antibodies effective against the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants, while those without prior infection showed reduced immunity against variants. B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 spike mutations resulted in increased or unchanged T cell responses depending on human leukocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphisms. The authors concluded that one dose of the vaccine achieves similar levels of S1 RBD binding antibodies to two doses in vaccinated individuals who had not been infected, and among individuals who had been infected and received one dose, the second dose offered no additional immune enhancement.

Reynolds et al. (Apr 2021). Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection Rescues B and T Cell Responses to Variants after First Vaccine Dose. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abh1282