AUTHOR=Costa Priscilla Ramos , Correia Carolina Argondizo , Marmorato Mariana Prado , Dias Juliana Zanatta de Carvalho , Thomazella Mateus Vailant , Cabral da Silva Amanda , de Oliveira Ana Carolina Soares , Gusmão Arianne Fagotti , Ferrari Lilian , Freitas Angela Carvalho , Patiño Elizabeth González , Grifoni Alba , Weiskopf Daniela , Sette Alessandro , Scharf Rami , Kallás Esper Georges , Silveira Cássia Gisele Terrassani TITLE=Humoral and cellular immune responses to CoronaVac up to one year after vaccination JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1032411 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2022.1032411 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

Coronavac is a widely used SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine, but its long-term immune response assessment is still lacking. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2-specific immune responses, including T cell activation markers, antigen-specific cytokine production and antibody response following vaccination in 53 adult and elderly individuals participating in a phase 3 clinical trial. Activated follicular helper T (Tfh), non-Tfh and memory CD4+ T cells were detected in almost all subjects early after the first vaccine dose. Activated memory CD4+ T cells were predominantly of central and effector memory T cell phenotypes and were sustained for at least 6 months. We also detected a balanced Th1-, Th2- and Th17/Th22-type cytokine production that was associated with response over time, together with particular cytokine profile linked to poor responses in older vaccinees. SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG levels peaked 14 days after the second dose and were mostly stable over one year. CoronaVac was able to induce a potent and durable antiviral antigen-specific cellular response and the cytokine profiles related to the response over time and impacted by the senescence were defined.