Long-term transition of antibody titers in healthcare workers following the first to fourth doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine: Comparison of two automated SARS-CoV-2 immunoassays

Abstract

Anti-spike receptor binding domain (S-RBD) antibody against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which best correlates with virus-neutralizing antibody is useful for estimating the period of protection and identifying the timing of additional booster doses. Long-term transition of the S-RBD antibody titer and the antibody responses among healthy individuals remain unclear. In the present study, therefore, we monitored the S-RBD antibody titers of 16 healthcare workers every 4 weeks for 76 weeks after vaccination with a fourth dose of mRNA-1273 (Moderna) following three doses of BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) using two commercial automated immunoassays (Roche and Abbott). Two antibody responses to the vaccine were similar with an up-down change before and after the second (weeks 3), third (weeks 40) and fourth (week 72) vaccinations, but the titer did not fall below the assay's positivity threshold in any individual. The peak level of the geometric mean titer (GMT) in the Roche assay was highest after the third vaccination, and that in Abbott assay was highest after the fourth vaccination but almost equal to that after the third vaccination. Both the geometric mean fold rise (GMFR) demonstrated by the Roche and Abbott assays were highest after the third vaccination. Antibody titers determined by the Roche and Abbott assays showed a positive strong correlation (correlation coefficient: 0.70 to 0.99), but the ratio (Roche/Abbott) of antibodies demonstrated by both assays increased 0.46- to 8.26-fold between weeks 3 and 76. These findings will be helpful for clinicians when interpreting results for SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels and considering future vaccination strategies.