Longevity and Magnitude of Antibody Responses After Homologous and Heterologous COVID-19 Booster Vaccinations in Bangladesh.

Authors

Marjahan Akhtar, Md Rashedul Islam, Zahid Hasan Khan, Afroza Akter, Imam Tauheed, Tasnuva Ahmed, Ishtiakul Islam Khan, Mohammad Ashraful Amin, Fatema Khaton, Farhana Khanam, Md Taufiqul Islam, Prasanta Kumar Biswas, Rumana Rashid, Md Mamunur Rashid, Md Zakir Hossain, Ahmed Nawsher Alam, A S M Alamgir, Edward T Ryan, Sayera Banu, Tahmina Shirin, Fahima Chowdhury, Ashraful Islam Khan, Taufiqur Rahman Bhuiyan, Firdausi Qadri

Published in

Vaccines. Volume 14. Issue 6. Jun 15, 2026. Epub Jun 15, 2026.

Abstract

The dynamics of humoral immune responses following primary and booster COVID-19 vaccinations are crucial to understand in order to optimize vaccination strategies. This study evaluates the magnitude and durability of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG antibody responses across different vaccines in a large cohort of Bangladeshi adults.
A total of 6300 adults from nine hospitals across eight divisions of Bangladesh were enrolled. Participants received two primary doses of either ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Covishield, Serum Institute of India, n = 2855), mRNA-1273 (Moderna, n = 578), BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech, n = 121), or Vero-cell-inactivated (Sinopharm, n = 2746) vaccines. Booster doses were administered at one-year intervals post-primary vaccination. SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific IgG antibody responses were measured by ELISA using serum from vaccinees at multiple time points after two primary and two booster doses.
A total of 3745 individuals received booster 1 (third dose), with 59% receiving heterologous boosters (a different vaccine regimen than the primary doses). Only 5.5% (n = 347) of participants received a second booster one year after the first booster (among them, 99% received BNT162b2). Our results suggest that heterologous boosters with the mRNA vaccine induced higher IgG levels than homologous boosters for individuals who received primary vaccination with adenovirus vector-based ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or a Vero-cell-inactivated vaccine. However, in those who initially received the mRNA-based vaccine, both homologous and heterologous boosters produced comparable IgG responses. Among all vaccine types, booster immunization with the Vero-cell-inactivated vaccine induced the lowest antibody responses. Longitudinal analysis demonstrated significantly high IgG levels over the 12 months following the first booster (p < 0.0001); however, IgG levels declined significantly after the second booster dose (fourth dose).
Heterologous boosting strategies, particularly those involving mRNA vaccines, elicit stronger and more sustained IgG responses compared to a homologous booster. However, antibody waning after the second booster highlights the need for continued monitoring and potential additional vaccine strategies.

PMID:
42347652
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 25 Jun 2026.

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