Strong immune defense following SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections
During the current wave of coronavirus with the omicron variant, there are a lot of breakthrough infections, even in people who are already triple vaccinated. A recent study has now shown that such breakthrough infections lead to strong and long-lasting antibody reactions in the body.
In a recent study, researchers from the University of Washington (USA) investigated the strength, duration and breadth of the neutralizing antibody reactions triggered by breakthrough infections in people vaccinated once morest SARS-CoV2. The results were recently published in the renowned journal “Cell” presented.
Omicron can bypass immune defenses
The special features of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 include increased transmissibility and the ability to bypass antibodies that have already been acquired. These properties and the declining immunity of available vaccines have led to an increased incidence of breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated individuals.
What are the consequences of breakthrough infections on immunity?
According to the research team, healthy people who are vaccinated once morest SARS-CoV-2 and who become infected with the coronavirus mostly do not experience any severe symptoms. The research group led by Alexandra Walls and David Veesler from the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Washington wanted to find out how infection with the virus affects the neutralizing antibodies following vaccination and how durable and extensive these reactions are.
The team showed that the magnitude of the antibody response depends on how many times a person has been exposed to the coronavirus spike protein – whether through vaccination or through infection. They analyzed the antibody responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection in different groups of people who were vaccinated either once, twice or three times.
Which people had the strongest antibody responses
It showed that the strongest antibody responses were in those who received triple vaccination, those who had been vaccinated following recovering from COVID-19, and those who had breakthrough infection following vaccination.
According to the research team, the neutralizing antibody responses to the spike protein in these individuals were much stronger and more durable than those in individuals who received only two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or who had had a previous infection without vaccination.
Increased exposure leads to stronger antibody response
According to the researchers, this observation suggests that the increased number of exposures to SARS-CoV-2 antigens, either through infection and vaccination or triple vaccination, improves the quality of antibody responses. (vb)
Author and source information
This text corresponds to the specifications of medical specialist literature, medical guidelines and current studies and has been checked by medical professionals.
Author:
Diploma-Editor (FH) Volker Blasek
Sources:
- University of Washington School of Medicine: Breakthrough COVID-19 infections spur strong antibody responses (veröffentlicht: 21.01.2021), eurekalert.org
- Alexandra C. Walls, Kaitlin R. Sprouse, John E. Bowen, et al.: SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections elicit potent, broad and durable neutralizing antibody responses; in: Cell, 2022., cell.com
Important NOTE:
This article contains general advice only and should not be used for self-diagnosis or treatment. He can not substitute a visit at the doctor.
