BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine elicited antibody response in blood and milk of breastfeeding women

Michal Rosenberg-Friedman,Yael Bahar,Yariv Wine,Ronit Lubetzky,Meital Gal-Tanamy,Moshe Dessau,Ariel Many,Joel Alter,Michal Werbner,Yariv Yogev,Aya Kigel,Yael Dror

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26507-1

Michal Rosenberg-Friedman, Yael Bahar + Show 10 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26507-1

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Abstract

The importance of breastmilk in postnatal life lies in the strong association between breastfeeding and the reduction in the risk of infection and infection-related infant mortality. However, data regarding the induction and dynamics of breastmilk antibodies following administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccine is scarce, as pregnant and lactating women were not included in the initial vaccine clinical trials. Here, we investigate the dynamics of the vaccine-specific antibody response in breastmilk and serum in a prospective cohort of ten lactating women who received two doses of the mRNA vaccine. We show that the antibody response is rapid and highly synchronized between breastmilk and serum, reaching stabilization 14 days after the second dose. The response in breastmilk includes both IgG and IgA with neutralization capacity.

Highlights

The importance of breastmilk in postnatal life lies in the strong association between breastfeeding and the reduction in the risk of infection and infection-related infant mortality
Two reports have described the breastmilk antibody response following an mRNA-vaccination[9,10], but there is still vital information lacking on the neutralization capacity of breastmilk antibodies, on the dynamics of the antibody response in breastmilk in comparison to the response in blood, and on whether antibody levels are similar to those elicited in lactating women following the administration of other vaccines
The BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Israel provided a unique opportunity to study the dynamics of breastmilk antibodies during the primary and secondary immune response

Summary

Introduction

The importance of breastmilk in postnatal life lies in the strong association between breastfeeding and the reduction in the risk of infection and infection-related infant mortality. Two reports have described the breastmilk antibody response following an mRNA-vaccination[9,10] (one with the Pfizer vaccine and the other with the Pfizer or the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine), but there is still vital information lacking on the neutralization capacity of breastmilk antibodies, on the dynamics of the antibody response in breastmilk in comparison to the response in blood, and on whether antibody levels are similar to those elicited in lactating women following the administration of other vaccines. These findings suggest that vaccination during breastfeeding could confer protection during early infancy

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