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Dear Colleagues,

During the assessment and licensing of novel vaccines and in the post-licensure follow up, it is critical to have reliable immunogenicity-testing methods that relate well to protection. The need for reliable immunogenicity criteria became apparent in the preparation for the potential pandemic threat posed by influenza A H5N1 in 2006, when great intra- and interlaboratory variations were seen for hemagglutinin inhibition and microneutralization tests, and the need for a centralized standard was acknowledged by the WHO and NIBSC.

In the case of SARS-CoV-2, this remains a critical issue, as many different antibody tests have been developed urgently, but with unknown correlation to real-world protection. Therefore, collaboration among different laboratories and health authorities is essential to establish standards, reduce interlaboratory variations, and establish immunogenicity correlates that can be used for licensing as well as patient care. In this Special Issue, we seek papers discussing the development of reliable immunogenicity tests that correlate with real-world protection against SARS-CoV-2, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other novel vaccines.

Sub-topics: antibody levels; cellular immunity; correlates of protection; rapid vs. laboratory antibody kits; the role of ELISA.

Dr. Zoltan Vajo
Guest Editor

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (1 paper)

Research

17 pages, 2701 KiB

Open AccessArticle

SARS-CoV-2-Specific Immune Responses in Vaccination and Infection during the Pandemic in 2020–2022

by Wakana Inoue, Yuta Kimura, Shion Okamoto, Takuto Nogimori, Akane Sakaguchi-Mikami, Takuya Yamamoto and Yasuko Tsunetsugu-Yokota

Viruses 2024, 16(3), 446; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16030446 - 13 Mar 2024

Viewed by 844

Abstract

To gain insight into how immunity develops against SARS-CoV-2 from 2020 to 2022, we analyzed the immune response of a small group of university staff and students who were either infected or vaccinated. We investigated the levels of receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific and nucleocapsid (N)-specific IgG and IgA antibodies in serum and saliva samples taken early (around 10 days after infection or vaccination) and later (around 1 month later), as well as N-specific T-cell responses. One patient who had been infected in 2020 developed serum RBD and N-specific IgG antibodies, but declined eight months later, then mRNA vaccination in 2021 produced a higher level of anti-RBD IgG than natural infection. In the vaccination of naïve individuals, vaccines induced anti-RBD IgG, but it declined after six months. A third vaccination boosted the IgG level again, albeit to a lower level than after the second. In 2022, when the Omicron variant became dominant, familial transmission occurred among vaccinated people. In infected individuals, the levels of serum anti-RBD IgG antibodies increased later, while anti-N IgG peaked earlier. The N-specific activated T cells expressing IFN γ or CD107a were detected only early. Although SARS-CoV-2-specific salivary IgA was undetectable, two individuals showed a temporary peak in RBD- and N-specific IgA antibodies in their saliva on the second day after infection. Our study, despite having a small sample size, revealed that SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers the expected immune responses against acute viral infections. Moreover, our findings suggest that the temporary mucosal immune responses induced early during infection may provide better protection than the currently available intramuscular vaccines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV and Other Vaccines: Immunogenicity Parameters and Protection, 3rd Edition)

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