Association between Reactogenicity and Immunogenicity after Vaccination with BNT162b2

Abstract

It is not clear whether there is an association between adverse reactions and immune response after vaccination. Seven hundred and thirty-five vaccinees from our University Medical Center vaccination clinic provided information about sex, age and adverse reactions after first and second vaccination with BNT162b2. Adverse reactions were categorized into three groups: no or minor on the injection side, moderate (not further classified) and severe—defined as any symptom(s) resulting in sick leave. We chose 38 vaccinees with the most severe adverse reactions and compared their humoral and T-cell-mediated immune responses after second vaccination with those of 38 sex and age matched controls without or only minor injection-side related adverse reactions. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) anti-receptor binding domain (RBD) IgG titers were detectable in all participants (median 5528; range 958–26,285). Men with severe adverse reactions had 1.5-fold higher median SARS-CoV-2 RBD IgG titers compared to men without adverse reactions (median 7406 versus 4793; p < 0.001). Similarly; neutralization activity was significantly higher in men with severe adverse reactions (half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) median 769 versus 485; p < 0.001). Reactogenicity did not influence humoral immune response in women nor T-cell-mediated immune response in any sex. To conclude; adverse reactions after vaccination with BNT162b2 do influence humoral immune response yet only in men and are not a prerequisite for a robust antibody response.

Reactogenicity and Immunogenicity of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccines

“…Investigations examining associations between vaccination side effects and immunogenicity are limited and remain necessary to assess vaccine efficacy. Adverse reactions that occur following vaccination are recognized as being predictive indicators of a virtuous immune response; however, inadequate evidence regarding the reactogenicity of the COVID-19 vaccines has been published ( 17 ). In the current study, the data showed that 70% of participants described at least 1 vaccine-related symptom, with pain at the injection site being the most commonly reported vaccine-related symptom, followed by fever, headache, and nausea.…”

Increased neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant after heterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/BNT162b2 versus homologous BNT162b2 vaccination

“…Detailed methods are provided in the online version of this paper and include the following: At our University Hospital Center vaccination clinic COVID-19 vaccinees -mostly health care workers and some university employees -were enrolled in two studies, cross (registration number DRKS00025271) and immunoreakt (registration number DRKS00025316) (Bauernfeind et al, 2021).…”

“…More vaccinees took prophylactic antipyretic medication before second vaccination with BNT than before prime vaccination (17 versus 11). Ninety vaccinees were enrolled in a study assessing the homologous BNT/BNT vaccination schedule (Bauernfeind et al, 2021). Two vaccinees were excluded from the analysis because of a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection.…”

Delayed antigen-specific CD4+ T-cell induction correlates with impaired immune responses to SARS-COV-2 mRNA vaccination in the elderly

“…Although most studies indicate that AEs decrease with age, the associations identified between AEs and antibody responses are largely based on studies involving small cohorts and/or differences in analytical strategies (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27). Furthermore, studies have not addressed whether T-cell responses correlate with AEs.…”

“…Notably, AEs have been more frequently observed after the second dose and with higher severity than after the first dose (14), which strongly suggested that AEs are a consequence of immunological memory induced by the adaptive immune system. However, previous reports did not reach a consensus concerning the association between AEs and vaccine-induced immune reactions, such as antibody production, likely due to the small cohorts used in the studies and variations in how AEs were defined (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27). Moreover, most studies examined the associations of AEs with antibody levels and/or neutralizing activity but not with T-cell responses, which can result in the production of cytokines and thus cause systemic effects.…”