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Immune defects associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine response in aged people
Joana Vitallé, … , Mohammed Rafii-El-Idrissi Benhnia, Ezequiel Ruiz-Mateos
Joana Vitallé, … , Mohammed Rafii-El-Idrissi Benhnia, Ezequiel Ruiz-Mateos
Published August 9, 2022
Citation Information: JCI Insight. 2022;7(17):e161045. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.161045.
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Research Article Immunology Vaccines

Immune defects associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine response in aged people

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Abstract

The immune factors associated with impaired SARS-CoV-2 vaccine response in elderly people are mostly unknown. We studied individuals older than 60 and younger than 60 years, who had been vaccinated with SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA, before and after the first and second dose. Aging was associated with a lower anti–RBD IgG levels and a decreased magnitude and polyfunctionality of SARS-CoV-2–specific T cell response. The dramatic decrease in thymic function in people > 60 years, which fueled alteration in T cell homeostasis, and their lower CD161+ T cell levels were associated with decreased T cell response 2 months after vaccination. Additionally, deficient DC homing, activation, and TLR-mediated function, along with a proinflammatory functional profile in monocytes, were observed in the > 60-year-old group, which was also related to lower specific T cell response after vaccination. These findings might be relevant for the improvement of the current vaccination strategies and for the development of new vaccine prototypes.

Authors

Joana Vitallé, Alberto Pérez-Gómez, Francisco José Ostos, Carmen Gasca-Capote, María Reyes Jiménez-León, Sara Bachiller, Inmaculada Rivas-Jeremías, Maria del Mar Silva-Sánchez, Anabel M. Ruiz-Mateos, María Ángeles Martín-Sánchez, Luis Fernando López-Cortes, Mohammed Rafii-El-Idrissi Benhnia, Ezequiel Ruiz-Mateos

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Figure 1

Association of SARS-CoV-2–specific IgG levels with age.

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Association of SARS-CoV-2–specific IgG levels with age.
(A) Anti–RBD IgG...
(A) Anti–RBD IgG levels (binding antibody units [BAU]/mL) in participants > 60 years old (red) and those < 60 years old (blue) before SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (PRE), 3 weeks after the first dose (1D), and 2 months after the second dose (2D). (B) Correlation of anti–RBD IgG levels with age in all the study participants after the first dose (left) and after the second dose (right). Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon, and Spearman tests were used (n = 54). Friedman test was applied in A (>60-year-old, ****P ≤ 0.0001; <60-year-old, ****P ≤ 0.0001).

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