Journal Article Epublish 4 citations
PubMed: 40055264 DOI: 10.1007/s40520-025-02990-0
COVID-19 booster doses reduce sex disparities in antibody responses among nursing home residents.
Aging Clin Exp Res 37(1):73
Authors: Oladayo A Oyebanji, Anna Yin, Nicholas Sundheimer, Vaishnavi Ragavapuram, Patrick Shea, Yi Cao, Philip A Chan, Aman Nanda, Rohit Tyagi, Sakeena Raza, Nadia Mujahid, Yasin Abul, Alejandro B Balazs, Jürgen Bosch, Christopher L King, Sabra L Klein, Stefan Gravenstein, David H Canaday, Brigid M Wilson
Affiliations
- Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
- Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
- Center of Innovation in Long-Term Services and Supports, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA.
- Brown University School of Public Health Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research, Providence, RI, USA.
- Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Data suggest that antibody responses following COVID-19 vaccines are a correlate of protection. Some studies, including the clinical trials of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, did not stratify and evaluate whether antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines differed between the sexes or with aging. This gap in research is particularly relevant for older populations such as nursing home residents (NHR). We hypothesized that sex differences in vaccine-induced antibody responses may intersect with age and be diminished among older adults residing in nursing homes.
METHODS
We analyzed serum samples from 638 NHRs collected serially after the primary two-dose series and three subsequent booster doses of mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations. We analyzed anti-Spike IgG and neutralizing antibody titers to the Wuhan and Omicron BA.4/5 variant strains. Mixed-effects models predicting log-transformed titers were estimated to compare responses across vaccine doses, focusing on sex-differential responses. For detected post-dose sex differences, additional sample times were analyzed to assess the duration of the difference.
RESULTS
Following the primary series, female NHRs with a prior history of SARS-CoV-2 infection had significantly higher Wuhan anti-Spike antibodies and neutralizing antibody titers than male NHRs with differences persisting up to nine months post-vaccination. Subsequent monovalent booster doses and a bivalent booster dose eliminated this disparity. We did not detect any differential response to the Omicron BA.4/5 variant.
CONCLUSIONS
The blunting of sex differences in antibody response observed following the primary series by the 1st booster dose underscores the importance of booster vaccination in this population.
MeSH
Antibody Formation, Vaccines, Aging, Nursing, Home Nursing, Antibodies, Neutralizing, Vaccination, Nursing Homes, Covid-19, Sex Characteristics, Sex, Sex Differences, Nursing Home Residents