Heterogeneous magnitude of immunological memory to SARS‐CoV‐2 in recovered individuals
Alessio Mazzoni, Laura Maggi, Manuela Capone, Anna Vanni, Michele Spinicci, Lorenzo Salvati, Seble Tekle Kiros, Roberto Semeraro, Luca Pengue, Maria Grazia Colao, Alberto Magi, Gian María Rossolini, Francesco Liotta, Lorenzo Cosmi, Alessandro Bartoloni, Francesco Annunziato
Abstract
Abstract Objective Although the adaptive immune response to SARS‐CoV‐2 has been characterised in the acute and early convalescent phase of the disease, few studies explore whether natural infection elicits long‐lasting immunological memory in recovered individuals. In this work, we aimed to assess the maintenance of immunological memory to SARS‐CoV‐2. Methods We evaluated the long‐term virus‐specific cellular and humoral immune response in the members of an Italian Serie A football team, who experienced a cluster of COVID‐19 in March 2020, which was strictly evaluated in the following months. Results Our results highlight a heterogeneous magnitude of immunological memory at 5 months after infection. Indeed, 20% of the subjects displayed a weak cellular and humoral memory to SARS‐CoV‐2, suggesting that they may be at higher risk of reinfection. In addition, a history of symptomatic COVID‐19 was associated with higher levels of SARS‐CoV‐2‐reactive CD4 + T cells and specific antibody levels than in asymptomatic individuals. Conclusion Collectively, these data demonstrate that immunity to SARS‐CoV‐2 is maintained five months postinfection even if the magnitude of response is heterogeneous among individuals. This finding suggests that some COVID‐19‐recovered subjects may benefit from vaccination.