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Abstract

Background

Since its emergence in December 2019, over 700 million people worldwide have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 up to May 2024. While early rollout of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 has saved many lives, there was increasing immune escape of new virus variants. Longitudinal monitoring of population-wide SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses from regular sample collection irrespective of symptoms provides representative data on infection and seroconversion/seroreversion rates.

Aim

To examine adaptive and cellular immune responses of a German SARS-CoV-2 outbreak cohort through several waves of infection with different virus variants.

Methods

Utilising a 31-month longitudinal seroepidemiological study (n = 1,446; mean age: 50 years, range: 2–103) initiated during the first SARS-CoV-2 superspreading event (February 2020) in Heinsberg, Germany, we analysed acute infection, seroconversion and virus neutralisation at five follow-up visits between October 2020 and November 2022; cellular and cross-protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants were also examined.

Results

SARS-CoV-2 spike (S)-specific IgAs decreased shortly after infection, while IgGs remained stable. Both increased significantly after vaccination. We predict an 18-month half-life of S IgGs upon infection. Nucleocapsid (N)-specific responses declined over 12 months post-infection but increased (p < 0.0001) during Omicron. Frequencies of SARS-CoV-2-specific TNF-alpha+/IFN-gamma+ CD4+  T-cells declined over 12 months after infection (p < 0.01). SARS-CoV-2 S antibodies and neutralisation titres were highest in triple-vaccinated participants infected between April 2021 and November 2022 compared with infections between April 2020 and January 2021. Cross neutralisation against Omicron BQ.1.18 and XBB.1.5 was very low in all groups.

Conclusion

Infection and/or vaccination did not provide the population with cross-protection against Omicron variants.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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2024-06-27
2024-12-21
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A longitudinal study on SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion, reinfection and neutralisation spanning several variant waves and vaccination campaigns, Heinsberg, Germany, April 2020 to November 2022
<p class="citation"> <span>Citation style for this article:</span> <span class="meta-value authors"> <a href="/search?value1=Bianca+Schulte&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Schulte Bianca</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Enrico+Richter&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Richter Enrico</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Antonia+B%C3%BCning&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Büning Antonia</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Maximilian+Baum&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Baum Maximilian</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Annika+Breuer&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Breuer Annika</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Jasmin+Zorn&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Zorn Jasmin</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Julia+K%C3%B6nig&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">König Julia</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Melanie+Geiger&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Geiger Melanie</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Monika+Eschbach-Bludau&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Eschbach-Bludau Monika</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Johanna+Heuser&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Heuser Johanna</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Dominik+Z%C3%B6lzer&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Zölzer Dominik</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Marek+Korencak&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Korencak Marek</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Ronja+Hollstein&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Hollstein Ronja</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Eva+Beins&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Beins Eva</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Dorian+Emmert&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Emmert Dorian</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Souhaib+Aldabbagh&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Aldabbagh Souhaib</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Anna+Maria+Eis-H%C3%BCbinger&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Eis-Hübinger Anna Maria</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Hendrik+Streeck&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Streeck Hendrik</a></span>. A longitudinal study on SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion, reinfection and neutralisation spanning several variant waves and vaccination campaigns, Heinsberg, Germany, April 2020 to November 2022. <a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2024;29(26):pii=2300659. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.26.2300659" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.26.2300659</a> <span class="ES_Article_citation"> <span class="generated">Received</span>: 21 Nov 2023;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 19 Mar 2024 </span> </p>
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