Publication date: Jan 30, 2025
Pregnant individuals are at heightened risk for severe outcomes from many infectious diseases, including COVID-19. However, they were not included in the initial COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials and current rates of vaccine uptake among pregnant people remain below 15%. We defined the serological and cellular responses to COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccines (i.e., ancestral and BA.5) in pregnant and age-matched non-pregnant females to identify how pregnancy affects immunity against vaccine viruses in addition to novel variants. Blood was collected from participants prior to and 3-5 weeks post booster vaccine. Post-vaccination antibodies from pregnant participants were less cross-reactive to non-vaccine antigens, including XBB1.5 and JN.1, than antibodies from non-pregnant females. Antibodies from non-pregnant females showed strong correlations between IgG1 and FcR binding and greater IgG1:IgG3 ratios and live virus neutralization against all variants. In contrast, antibodies from pregnant participants had lower IgG1:IgG3 ratios and neutralization and greater antibody-dependent NK cell cytokine production and neutrophil phagocytosis, particularly against variants. CD4+ T cells from pregnant patients exhibited reduced polyfunctionality, with IFN{gamma}+ monofunctional dominance. In contrast, among non-pregnant participants, CD4+ T cells displayed greater polyfunctionality, with more IL-21+ cells. Pregnancy may reduce the breadth, composition, and magnitude of humoral and cellular immunity, particularly in response to novel variants, highlighting the need for continued vaccination in this at-risk population.
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Biotech | Antibody |
| Females | Certified |
| Influenza | Covid |
| Zombie | Figure |
| Https | |
| Individuals | |
| Medrxiv | |
| Org | |
| Peer | |
| Pregnancy | |
| Pregnant | |
| Preprint | |
| Vaccination | |
| Vaccine | |
| Variants |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | infectious diseases |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 |
| disease | IDO | blood |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Silver |
| disease | MESH | Rare Diseases |
| disease | MESH | Emergency |
| disease | MESH | morbidity |
| disease | MESH | pregnancy outcomes |
| disease | MESH | preeclampsia |
| disease | MESH | stillbirth |
| disease | MESH | preterm birth |
| disease | MESH | influenza |
| disease | MESH | infection |
| drug | DRUGBANK | L-Glutamine |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Streptomycin |
| disease | MESH | virus titer |
| disease | IDO | assay |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Formaldehyde |
| disease | IDO | protein |
| disease | IDO | production |
| disease | IDO | facility |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Biotin |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Gelatin |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Flunarizine |
| disease | IDO | cell |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Dimethyl sulfoxide |
| pathway | REACTOME | Complement cascade |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Trimebutine |
| disease | MESH | arcs |
| disease | MESH | arc |
| drug | DRUGBANK | 3 7 11 15-Tetramethyl-Hexadecan-1-Ol |
| disease | IDO | role |
| disease | IDO | intervention |