Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
    • Video Abstracts
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • Complement Biology and Therapeutics (May 2025)
    • Evolving insights into MASLD and MASH pathogenesis and treatment (Apr 2025)
    • Microbiome in Health and Disease (Feb 2025)
    • Substance Use Disorders (Oct 2024)
    • Clonal Hematopoiesis (Oct 2024)
    • Sex Differences in Medicine (Sep 2024)
    • Vascular Malformations (Apr 2024)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Editorials
    • Commentaries
    • Editor's notes
    • Reviews
    • Viewpoints
    • 100th anniversary
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Video Abstracts
  • In-Press Preview
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Editorials
  • Commentaries
  • Editor's notes
  • Reviews
  • Viewpoints
  • 100th anniversary
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Contralateral second dose improves antibody responses to a 2-dose mRNA vaccination regimen
Sedigheh Fazli, … , William B. Messer, Marcel E. Curlin
Sedigheh Fazli, … , William B. Messer, Marcel E. Curlin
Published January 16, 2024
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2024;134(6):e176411. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI176411.
View: Text | PDF
Clinical Research and Public Health Immunology Infectious disease

Contralateral second dose improves antibody responses to a 2-dose mRNA vaccination regimen

  • Text
  • PDF
Abstract

BACKGROUND Vaccination is typically administered without regard to site of prior vaccination, but this factor may substantially affect downstream immune responses.METHODS We assessed serological responses to initial COVID-19 vaccination in baseline seronegative adults who received second-dose boosters in the ipsilateral or contralateral arm relative to initial vaccination. We measured serum SARS-CoV-2 spike–specific Ig, receptor-binding domain–specific (RBD-specific) IgG, SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid–specific IgG, and neutralizing antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2.D614G (early strain) and SARS-CoV-2.B.1.1.529 (Omicron) at approximately 0.6, 8, and 14 months after boosting.RESULTS In 947 individuals, contralateral boosting was associated with higher spike-specific serum Ig, and this effect increased over time, from a 1.1-fold to a 1.4-fold increase by 14 months (P < 0.001). A similar pattern was seen for RBD-specific IgG. Among 54 pairs matched for age, sex, and relevant time intervals, arm groups had similar antibody levels at study visit 2 (W2), but contralateral boosting resulted in significantly higher binding and neutralizing antibody titers at W3 and W4, with progressive increase over time, ranging from 1.3-fold (total Ig, P = 0.007) to 4.0-fold (pseudovirus neutralization to B.1.1.529, P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS In previously unexposed adults receiving an initial vaccine series with the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, contralateral boosting substantially increases antibody magnitude and breadth at times beyond 3 weeks after vaccination. This effect should be considered during arm selection in the context of multidose vaccine regimens.FUNDING M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, OHSU Foundation, NIH.

Authors

Sedigheh Fazli, Archana Thomas, Abram E. Estrada, Hiro A.P. Ross, David Xthona Lee, Steven Kazmierczak, Mark K. Slifka, David Montefiori, William B. Messer, Marcel E. Curlin

×
Problems with a PDF?

This file is in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. If you have not installed and configured the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system.

Having trouble reading a PDF?

PDFs are designed to be printed out and read, but if you prefer to read them online, you may find it easier if you increase the view size to 125%.

Having trouble saving a PDF?

Many versions of the free Acrobat Reader do not allow Save. You must instead save the PDF from the JCI Online page you downloaded it from. PC users: Right-click on the Download link and choose the option that says something like "Save Link As...". Mac users should hold the mouse button down on the link to get these same options.

Having trouble printing a PDF?

  1. Try printing one page at a time or to a newer printer.
  2. Try saving the file to disk before printing rather than opening it "on the fly." This requires that you configure your browser to "Save" rather than "Launch Application" for the file type "application/pdf", and can usually be done in the "Helper Applications" options.
  3. Make sure you are using the latest version of Adobe's Acrobat Reader.

Supplemental data - Download (1.89 MB)

Advertisement

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts