Bonjour,
Le titre n'est pas de moi, c'est celui (traduit et un peu abrégé) d'une étude de l'Université de Pennsylvanie,
"mRNA Vaccination Induces Durable Immune Memory to SARS-CoV-2 with Continued Evolution to Variants of Concern", dont voici le résumé :
et un extrait de la conclusion :SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines have shown remarkable efficacy, especially in preventing severe illness and hospitalization. However, the emergence of several variants of concern and reports of declining antibody levels have raised uncertainty about the durability of immune memory following vaccination. In this study, we longitudinally profiled both antibody and cellular immune responses in SARS-CoV-2 naive and recovered individuals from pre-vaccine baseline to 6 months post-mRNA vaccination. Antibody and neutralizing titers decayed from peak levels but remained detectable in all subjects at 6 months post-vaccination. Functional memory B cell responses, including those specific for the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), and Delta (B.1.617.2) variants, were also efficiently generated by mRNA vaccination and continued to increase in frequency between 3 and 6 months post-vaccination. Notably, most memory B cells induced by mRNA vaccines were capable of cross-binding variants of concern, and B cell receptor sequencing revealed significantly more hypermutation in these RBD variant-binding clones compared to clones that exclusively bound wild-type RBD. Moreover, the percent of variant cross-binding memory B cells was higher in vaccinees than individuals who recovered from mild COVID-19. mRNA vaccination also generated antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and durable memory CD4+ T cells in most individuals, with early CD4+ T cell responses correlating with humoral immunity at later timepoints. These findings demonstrate robust, multi-component humoral and cellular immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 and current variants of concern for at least 6 months after mRNA vaccination.
These data may also provide context for understanding potential discrepancies in vaccine efficacy at preventing infection versus severe disease, hospitalization and death. Declining antibody titers over time likely reduce the potential for sterilizing or near sterilizing immunity. However, the durability of cellular immunity, here demonstrated for at least 6 months, may contribute to rapid recall responses that can limit initial viral replication and dissemination in the host, thereby preventing severe disease.
Finally, by examining individuals with pre-existing immunity following natural infection, we were able to gain insights into the possible effects of booster vaccination. In this setting, boosting of pre-existing immunity with mRNA vaccination mainly resulted in a transient benefit to antibody titers with little-to-no long-term impact on cellular immune memory. Antibody decay rates were similar in SARS-CoV-2 naïve and recovered vaccinees, suggesting that additional vaccine doses will temporarily prolong antibody-mediated protection without fundamentally altering the underlying landscape of SARS-CoV-2 immune memory, which is characterized by durable memory B and CD4+ T cells even when antibody responses begin to wane.
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