SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the Southern Region of New Zealand, 2020

“…During the first wave of infection in NZ a cohort of PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases was recruited in the Southern District Health Board (SDHB) region (3). We have previously reported on antibody dynamics in this cohort, alongside participants from other cohorts, up to 8-months post-infection (4).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Persistence of Neutralising Antibodies up to 11 months after SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Southern Region of New Zealand

McGregor

Craigie

Jack

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryDuring the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infection in New Zealand a cohort of 78 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases was recruited in the Southern District Health Board region. Here we report on this unique cohort nearly 1-year after infection. There was no known community transmission in the region over the study period due to New Zealand’s elimination status at the time, nor had any participants received a COVID-19 vaccine. In the absence of re-exposure, antibody reactivity to the viral spike protein, as well as neutralising antibodies to both the ancestral strain and the delta variant remained relatively stable between 8 and 11 months post-infection. This suggests long-lived antibody responses can be generated from a single natural infection event. However, given the risks of serious disease associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, vaccination is still strongly recommended.

show abstract

“…Nucleocapsid seroprevalence was used as a surrogate marker of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. There are limitations in relying upon this marker as some individuals may not mount a nucleocapsid antibody response following SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly if previously vaccinated, and these antibodies have been observed to wane over time [13,[20][21][22]. However, waning of anti-nucleocapsid antibodies is assay dependent, with the Roche total anti-nucleocapsid antibody assay, used in this study, reported to show high sensitivity out to at least 11.5 months post infection [23].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Robust immunogenicity of a third BNT162b2 vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a naïve New Zealand cohort

Lavender¹,

Hooker²,

Frampton

et al. 2023

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The ability of a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to stimulate immune responses against subvariants, including Omicron BA.1, has not been assessed in New Zealand populations. Unlike many overseas populations, New Zealanders were largely infection naive at the time they were boosted. This adult cohort of 298 participants, oversampled for at-risk populations, was composed of 29% Māori and 28% Pacific peoples, with 40% of the population aged 55+. A significant proportion of the cohort was obese and presented with at least one comorbidity. Sera were collected 28 days and 6 months post second vaccination and 28 days post third vaccination. SARS-CoV-2 anti-S IgG titres and neutralising capacity using surrogate viral neutralisation assays against variants of concern, including Omicron BA.1, were investigated. The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, within our cohort, prior to third vaccination was very low (<6%). This study found a third vaccine significantly increased the mean SARS-CoV-2 anti-S IgG titres, for every demographic subgroup, by a minimum of 1.5-fold compared to titres after two doses. Diabetic participants experienced a greater increase (~4-fold) in antibody titres after their third vaccination, compared to non-diabetics (increase of ~2-fold). This corrected for the deficiency in antibody titres within diabetic participants which was observed following two doses. A third dose also induced a neutralising response against Omicron variant BA.1, which was absent after two doses. This neutralising response improved regardless of age, BMI, ethnicity, or diabetes status. Participants aged >75 years consistently had the lowest SARS-CoV-2 anti-S IgG titres at each timepoint, however experienced the greatest improvement after three doses compared to younger participants. This study shows that in the absence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, a third Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine enhances immunogenicity, including against Omicron BA.1, in a cohort representative of at-risk groups in the adult New Zealand population.

show abstract

SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the Southern Region of New Zealand, 2020

Cited by 8 publications

References 24 publications

Immunogenicity of BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in New Zealand adults

Immunogenicity of BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in New Zealand adults

The Persistence of Neutralising Antibodies up to 11 months after SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Southern Region of New Zealand

Robust immunogenicity of a third BNT162b2 vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a naïve New Zealand cohort

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About