Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection rescues B and T cell responses to variants after first vaccine dose
Catherine J. Reynolds, Corinna Pade, Joseph M. Gibbons, David K. Butler, Ashley Otter, Katia Menacho, Marianna Fontana, Angelique Smit, Jane E. Sackville-West, Teresa Cutiño‐Moguel, Mala K. Maini, Benny Chain, Mahdad Noursadeghi, UK COVIDsortium Immune Correlates Network, Tim Brooks, Amanda Semper, Charlotte Manisty, Thomas A. Treibel, James Moon, UK COVIDsortium Investigators, Ana M. Valdes, Áine McKnight, Daniel M. Altmann, Rosemary J. Boyton, Hakam Abbass, Aderonke Abiodun, Mashael Alfarih, Zoe Alldis, Daniel M. Altmann, Oliver E. Amin, Mervyn Andiapen, Jessica Artico, João B. Augusto, Georgina L. Baca, Sasha N. L. Bailey, Anish Bhuva, Alex Boulter, Ruth Bowles, Rosemary J. Boyton, Olivia V. Bracken, Benjamin O’Brien, Tim Brooks, Natalie Bullock, David K. Butler, Gabriella Captur, Nicola Champion, Carmen K. M. Chan, Aneesh Chandran, David Collier, Jorge Couto de Sousa, Xosé Couto‐Parada, Teresa Cutiño‐Moguel, Rhodri Davies, Brooke Douglas, Cecilia Di Genova, Keenan Dieobi-Anene, Mariana O. Diniz, Anaya Ellis, Karen Feehan, Malcolm Finlay, Marianna Fontana, Nasim Forooghi, Celia Gaier, Joseph M. Gibbons, Derek W. Gilroy, Matt Hamblin, Gabrielle Harker, Jacqueline Hewson, Wendy Heywood, Lauren M. Hickling, Aroon D. Hingorani, Lee Hamill Howes, Alun D. Hughes, Gemma Hughes, Rebecca Hughes, Ivie Itua, Victor Jardim, Wing-Yiu Jason Lee, Melaniepetra Jensen, Jessica Jones, Meleri Jones, George Joy, Vikas Kapil, Hibba Kurdi, Jonathan Lambourne, Kai‐Min Lin, Sarah Louth, Mala K. Maini, Vineela Mandadapu, Charlotte Manisty, Áine McKnight, Katia Menacho, Celina Mfuko, Kevin Mills, Oliver Mitchelmore, Christopher Moon, James Moon, Diana Munoz-Sandoval, Sam M. Murray, Mahdad Noursadeghi
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 vaccine rollout has coincided with the spread of variants of concern. We investigated if single dose vaccination, with or without prior infection, confers cross protective immunity to variants. We analyzed T and B cell responses after first dose vaccination with the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 in healthcare workers (HCW) followed longitudinally, with or without prior Wuhan-Hu-1 SARS-CoV-2 infection. After one dose, individuals with prior infection showed enhanced T cell immunity, antibody secreting memory B cell response to spike and neutralizing antibodies effective against B.1.1.7 and B.1.351. By comparison, HCW receiving one vaccine dose without prior infection showed reduced immunity against variants. B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 spike mutations resulted in increased, abrogated or unchanged T cell responses depending on human leukocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphisms. Single dose vaccination with BNT162b2 in the context of prior infection with a heterologous variant substantially enhances neutralizing antibody responses against variants.