Symptomatology and IgG Levels before and after SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Breakthrough Infections in Vaccinated Individuals
(1) Background: After the COVID-19 pandemic, there is concern regarding the immunity of the population to SARS-CoV-2 variants, particularly the Omicron variant and its sub-lineages. (2) Methods: The study involved analyzing the immune response and symptomatology of 27 vaccinated individuals who were subsequently infected by Omicron sub-lineages. Blood samples were collected for serological analysis, including the detection of IgG antibodies reactive to the Nucleocapsid (N) and Spike (S) antigens of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, participants were interviewed to assess the intensity of symptoms during the infection. (3) Results: Despite the high levels of anti-Spike IgG observed after vaccination, all participants were infected by Omicron sub-lineages. The most common symptoms reported by participants were fever or chills, sore throat, and cough. The levels of anti-Spike IgG found prior to infection did not correlate with symptom intensity post-infection. However, it was observed that high post-infection anti-Nucleocapsid IgG levels correlated with mild symptoms during the course of the disease, suggesting a potential role for anti-N antibodies in symptom intensity. (4) Conclusions: In line with previous studies, the high levels of IgG anti-Spike resulting from vaccination did not provide complete protection against infection by the Omicron variant. Additionally, our data suggest that anti-Nucleocapsid IgG titers are negatively correlated with the intensity of the symptoms during mild infections.
Authors
- Fábio O. Pedrosa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3711-969X)
- Luciano F. Huergo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7587-9510)
- Emerson Joucoski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7339-9476)
- Alan G. Gonçalves (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8459-3437)
- Emanuel Maltempi de Souza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1546-9218)
- Valter A. Baura
- Nigella M. Paula
Institutions
- Universidade Federal do Paraná (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Vaccines
- Published
- 2024-10-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12101149
- Primary Topic
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Fundação Araucária
- Universidade Federal do Paraná
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro