Development and preservation of specific T-cell immunity after COVID-19 or vaccination against this infection

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Abstract

Aim – evaluation of specific T-cell immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in primary and secondary response to virus antigens by screening method.

Materials and methods. Patients were tested 1–1.5 months after COVID-19 and 6–10 months before and after vaccination. Healthy volunteers were screened before, 2–6 times during the vaccination course, and 6–8 months after revaccination with the Sputnik V vaccine. IgG and IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were detected by ELISA using commercially available kits (Vector-Best, Russia). Antigenic (AG) activation of T cells in the fraction of blood’s mononuclear cells was assessed by IFN-γ production after AG stimulation in the wells of plates from ELISA kits intended for detection of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Data were processed by MS Excel and Statistica 10.0 software.

Results. AG-specific T cells were detected in 88.5% of vaccinated healthy volunteers, half of whom were found to have T cells appearing earlier than antibodies to AG. After 6-8 months, the level of AG activation decreases. Following the revaccination, the level of AG activation of memory T cells in vitro increases within six months in 76.9–100.0% of vaccinated subjects. On the contrary, after COVID-19, 86.7% of individuals had in their blood the AG-specific T cells with high activity at the time of vaccination. The activity of T cells recognizing the RBD domain of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein and the proportion of individuals who had these cells in their blood increased after the vaccination of reconvalescents.

Conclusion. T-cell immunity against SARS-CoV-2 antigens has been shown to persist for 6 months after illness. In vaccinated individuals without history of COVID-19, such duration of the preservation of AG-specific T cells in blood was only achieved after the revaccination.

About the authors

Mariya S. Blyakher

G.N. Gabrichevsky Moscow Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

Email: msb2222@list.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3480-6873

D. Sci. (Med.), Professor, Head Laboratory, Department of immunology

Russian Federation, 125212, Moscow

Irina M. Fedorova

G.N. Gabrichevsky Moscow Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

Author for correspondence.
Email: vestnik-07@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0335-2752

Cand. Sci. (Med.), leading researcher, Department of immunology

Russian Federation, 125212, Moscow

Elena A. Tulskaya

G.N. Gabrichevsky Moscow Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

Email: etul@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1969-4009

Cand. Sci. (Biol.), leading researcher, Department of immunology

Russian Federation, 125212, Moscow

Ivan V. Kapustin

G.N. Gabrichevsky Moscow Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

Email: vano-kapustink@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6191-260X

Cand. Sci. (Med.), leading researcher, Department of immunology

Russian Federation, 125212, Moscow

Svetlana I. Koteleva

G.N. Gabrichevsky Moscow Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

Email: felileo@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1878-2234

Cand. Sci. (Med.), leading researcher, Department of immunology

Russian Federation, 125212, Moscow

Zarema K. Ramazanova

G.N. Gabrichevsky Moscow Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

Email: rzarema@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9314-3312

Cand. Sci. (Med.), leading researcher, Department of immunology

Russian Federation, 125212, Moscow

Evgeny E. Odintsov

G.N. Gabrichevsky Moscow Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

Email: rinocerus@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5895-2520

Cand. Sci. (Med.), leading researcher, Department of immunology

Russian Federation, 125212, Moscow

Svetlana V. Sandalova

G.N. Gabrichevsky Moscow Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

Email: s.sandalova74@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4548-9888

Researcher, Department of immunology

Russian Federation, 125212, Moscow

Lidia I. Novikova

G.N. Gabrichevsky Moscow Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

Email: vestnik-07@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0307-4561

Cand. Sci. (Med.), Head Laboratory, Department of immunology

Russian Federation, 125212, Moscow

Andrej V. Aleshkin

G.N. Gabrichevsky Moscow Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

Email: vestnik-07@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0532-1378

D. Sci. (Med.), Head Laboratory, Department of immunology

Russian Federation, 125212, Moscow

Svetlana S. Bochkareva

G.N. Gabrichevsky Moscow Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

Email: vestnik-07@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1204-7645

Cand. Sci. (Med.), leading researcher, Department of immunology

Russian Federation, 125212, Moscow

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Copyright (c) 2023 Blyakher M.S., Fedorova I.M., Tulskaya E.A., Kapustin I.V., Koteleva S.I., Ramazanova Z.K., Odintsov E.E., Sandalova S.V., Novikova L.I., Aleshkin A.V., Bochkareva S.S.

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