Temporal Increase in Neutralization Potency of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies and Reduced Viral Variant Escape after Sputnik V Vaccination (preprint)

ABSTRACT

Recent studies have shown a temporal increase in the neutralizing antibody potency and breadth to SARS-CoV-2 variants in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent individuals. Here, we observed a similar process after Sputnik V vaccination. We examined the longitudinal antibody responses and viral neutralizing capacity to variants of concern (VOCs Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta) and a broadly spread variant of interest (VOI Lambda) in volunteers up to 6 months after receiving the Sputnik V vaccine in Argentina. A collection of 1,800 serum samples obtained between January and August 2021 was used. The analysis indicates that while anti-spike IgG levels significantly wane over time, the neutralizing potency to the first-wave linages of SARS-CoV-2 and VOC increases within four months of vaccination, suggesting that antibody maturation occurs. This increase was more evident for the Beta and Gamma variants, which showed the highest propensity for neutralization escape. Our observations suggest that protection increases over the six months following vaccination as a consequence of antibody maturation, resulting in improved potency of antibodies to viral escape mutations.