Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancing Immune Monitoring in Critical Care Patients Using Whole Blood Assays
Published on: September 20, 2024
Predictors for reactogenicity and humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 following infection and mRNA vaccination: A
Erin C Williams1, Alexander Kizhner2, Valerie S Stark1
1Department of Otolaryngology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States.
Introduction:
The influence of pre-existing humoral immunity, inter-individual demographic factors, and vaccine-associated reactogenicity on immunogenicity following COVID vaccination remains poorly understood.
Methods:
Ten-fold cross-validated least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and linear mixed effects models were used to evaluate symptoms experienced by COVID+ participants during natural infection and following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination along with demographics as predictors for antibody (AB) responses to recombinant spike protein in a longitudinal cohort study.
Results:
In previously infected individuals (n=33), AB were more durable and robust following primary vaccination when compared to natural infection alone. Higher AB were associated with experiencing dyspnea during natural infection, as was the total number of symptoms reported during the COVID-19 disease course. Both local and systemic symptoms following 1st and 2nd dose (n=49 and 48, respectively) of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines were predictive of higher AB after vaccination. Lastly, there was a significant temporal relationship between AB and days since infection or vaccination, suggesting that vaccination in COVID+ individuals is associated with a more robust immune response.
Discussion:
Experiencing systemic and local symptoms post-vaccine was suggestive of higher AB, which may confer greater protection.
