Hybrid Immunity Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants: A Narrative Review of the Literature

Overview

Journal Vaccines (Basel)

Date 2024 Sep 28

PMID 39340081

Authors

Panagiota Tsagkli

Maria Geropeppa

Ioanna Papadatou

Vana Spoulou

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 led to a global health crisis and the burden of the disease continues to persist. The rapid development and emergency authorization of various vaccines, including mRNA-based vaccines, played a pivotal role in mitigating severe illness and mortality. However, rapid viral mutations, leading to several variants of concern, challenged vaccine effectiveness, particularly concerning immune evasion. Research on immunity, both from natural infection and vaccination, revealed that while neutralizing antibodies provide protection against infection, their effect is short-lived. The primary defense against severe COVID-19 is derived from the cellular immune response. Hybrid immunity, developed from a combination of natural infection and vaccination, offers enhanced protection, with convalescent vaccinated individuals showing significantly higher levels of neutralizing antibodies. As SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, understanding the durability and breadth of hybrid immunity becomes crucial. This narrative review examines the latest data on humoral and cellular immunity from both natural infection and vaccination, discussing how hybrid immunity could inform and optimize future vaccination strategies in the ongoing battle against COVID-19 and in fear of a new pandemic.

Citing Articles

Durability of Adaptive Immunity in Immunocompetent and Immunocompromised Patients Across Different Respiratory Viruses: RSV, Influenza, and SARS-CoV-2.

Livieratos A, Schiro L, Gogos C, Akinosoglou K Vaccines (Basel). 2025; 12(12.

PMID: 39772104 PMC: 11680120. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12121444.

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