Impact of Pre-Existing Adenovirus Immunity on Vaccine Immunity Induced by ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 in Immunodeficient Patients
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Introduction
Adenoviral vectors such as chimpanzee ChAdOx1 were selected for COVID-19 vaccines due to their low seroprevalence in humans, minimizing the impact of neutralising anti-vector immunity that could attenuate vaccine responses. However, the influence of pre-existing adenoviral immunity on vaccine response remains incompletely understood. We have previously shown that SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific T cells were enhanced in ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccinated immunodeficient patients compared to mRNA-based BNT162b2. Here, we assess immune cross-reactivity between ChAdOx1 and human adenovirus 5 (HuAd5), and test the hypothesis that in antibody-deficient individuals, cross-neutralisation may be impaired, allowing bystander enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific T cell responses following ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination.
Methods
We studied healthy healthcare workers (HCWs) and immunodeficient patients (IDPs) who received homologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or BNT162b2 vaccines. HCWs samples were collected pre-vaccination and 4-6 weeks after the second dose, while IDP samples were obtained 4-6 weeks after the second dose. Serum anti-HuAd5 hexon IgG was quantified using a Luminex multiplex assay, and neutralizing antibodies were assessed using a replication-deficient HuAd5-GFP virus neutralization assay with flow cytometry readout. Ex vivo ELISpot and flow cytometry assays were used to measure T cell responses to HuAd5 hexon. These data were compared with previously published ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine responses in the same cohorts.
Results
HuAd5 hexon-binding IgG titres were significantly higher in ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 compared to BNT162b2 vaccine recipients in both HCWs (p = 0.0043) and IDPs (p = 0.0328). Within ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine group, titres were lower in IDPs than HCWs (p = 0.0015) but not within the BNT162b2 group (p = 0.1261). HuAd5 neutralisation titres did not differ between cohorts or vaccine groups. In ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccinated IDPs and HCWs, there was a significant negative correlation between HuAd5 hexon IgG titres and SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific T cell responses. Similarly, HuAd5 neutralisation titres showed an inverse correlation with spike-specific T cell responses in ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccinated IDPs and HCWs. ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination induced significantly higher frequencies of HuAd5 hexon-reactive T cells compared with BNT162b2 vaccination in IDPs (p < 0.0001), consistent with cross-reactive adenoviral T cell responses. In IDPs, HuAd5 hexon-specific T cell frequencies positively correlated with SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific T cell responses following ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination but not following BNT162b2 vaccination. Functional profiling in ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccinated IDPs demonstrated expansion of HuAd5 hexon-specific CD4⁺IFN-γ⁺TNFα⁺ T cells in high SARS-CoV-2 spike responders (p = 0.0002) compared to low responders, and the frequency of these cells strongly correlated with spike-specific T cell response.
Discussion
ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has been associated with stronger T cell responses than BNT162b2 in certain populations, including immunodeficient and elderly individuals. While this has been attributed to antigen persistence and innate adjuvant effects, our findings support a mechanism whereby heterologous pre-existing adenovirus immunity modulates vaccine-induced responses. Specifically, cross-reactive HuAd5-specific T cells may enhance spike-specific T cell responses via bystander enhancement, while cross-reactive binding antibodies may exert opposing effects. An implication of this study is that vaccine protocols could incorporate therapies that suppress vector-specific or cross-reactive antibodies while preserving T cell responses especially in cases where T cell-specific responses are most desirable. Also, safe vector-based vaccines can be developed for patient groups with predominant antibody deficiency. Targeted vaccination strategy could be implemented for clinical cohorts based on immune competence.
