Melissa Oomen (Netherlands)
Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection PreventionAuthor Of 1 Presentation
COMPARING THE HUMAN MILK ANTIBODY RESPONSE AFTER FOUR DIFFERENT VACCINES AGAINST COVID-19: HIGHEST SARS-COV-2-SPECIFIC ANTIBODIES AFTER VACCINATION WITH MRNA-BASED VACCINES
Abstract
Backgrounds:
Vaccination of lactating women against COVID-19 may protect not only themselves but also their breast-fed infant through human milk. Therefore, it is important to gain insight into the human milk antibody response after immunization with the various vaccines that are currently widely used. The aim of this study is to determine and compare the antibody response in human milk following vaccination with mRNA- and vector-based vaccines up to over 2 months post-vaccination.
Methods
In this prospective cohort study, human milk samples from women receiving four different SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were collected longitudinally during a period of 70 days. SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The area under the curve of the antibody response was determined over 15 and 70 days following vaccination and compared between the different vaccines.
Results:
This study enrolled 134 vaccinated lactating women, who provided a total of 1887 human milk samples. After vaccination with an mRNA-based vaccine, almost all participants (96/97%) showed detectable SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in their milk, whereas only 37-50% of the participants who received a vector-based vaccine showed human milk antibodies. The mean area under the curve of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in human milk over 70 days was the highest after vaccination with an mRNA-based vaccine.
Conclusions/Learning Points:
Maternal vaccination during lactation with an mRNA-based vaccine resulted in higher SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG responses in human milk compared to vector-based vaccines. Therefore, vaccination with mRNA-based vaccines might not only provide better immunological protection for the mother but also for her breast-fed infant.