Zeitschrift für Infektionskrankheiten und Therapie

Abstrakt

Humoral Immune Response of Vaccinated Employees against SARS-CoV-2 in a Tertiary Hospital in Germany: CALM-UKA (COVID-19 Antibody Level Monitoring University Hospital Augsburg)

Johanna Maria Classen, Anna Muzalyova, Christine Dhillon, Elisabeth Kling, Stephan Zellmer, Ute Grossert, Reinhard Hoffmann, Renate Linne, Michael Beyer, Alanna Ebigbo, Helmut Messmann, Christoph Römmele, Elisabeth Schnoy

Objectives: In the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it is important to better understand whether and, more importantly, how long individuals who were administered a SARS-CoV-2 vaccination are protected from future infections. Healthcare workers are at permanent risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2-safe and lasting vaccination response is therefore of immense importance. The aim of the present work is to record antibody titer against SARS-CoV-2 in a large cohort of vaccinated employees at the university hospital over time and to identify possible factors influencing antibody formation.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 1045 employees who received vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 during the course with BNT162b2 vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer. Blood was drawn from the employees at predefined time points and analyzed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (IgG) against the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of the Spike protein (S). In addition, all participants completed a questionnaire.

Results: A total of 863 females (82.6%) and 182 males (17.4%) were screened. The mean antibody titer was 69127.8 BAU/ml (SD=69319.6 BAU/ml) in female participants and 60867.8 BAU/ml (SD=65249.6 BAU/ml) in male participants. There was no significant difference concerning gender and antibody levels (p=0.071). In a multivariate analysis, we found a significant influence of age on the antibody formation (p<0.001); the older the participants, the lower the antibody level. The highest antibody levels were detected in study participants 30-50 days after their first vaccination. 50 days after vaccination only lower antibody titer in proband could be detected.

Conclusion: In the large cohort of 1045 health care workers, a high heterogeneity of antibody titers was observed. There is a significant influence of age on antibody levels-older employees had a lower antibody titer. 50 days after vaccination only lower antibody titer in proband could be detected.