40 research outputs found
SARS-CoV-2-specific nasal IgA wanes 9 months after hospitalisation with COVID-19 and is not induced by subsequent vaccination
BACKGROUND: Most studies of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 focus on circulating antibody, giving limited insights into mucosal defences that prevent viral replication and onward transmission. We studied nasal and plasma antibody responses one year after hospitalisation for COVID-19, including a period when SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was introduced. METHODS: In this follow up study, plasma and nasosorption samples were prospectively collected from 446 adults hospitalised for COVID-19 between February 2020 and March 2021 via the ISARIC4C and PHOSP-COVID consortia. IgA and IgG responses to NP and S of ancestral SARS-CoV-2, Delta and Omicron (BA.1) variants were measured by electrochemiluminescence and compared with plasma neutralisation data. FINDINGS: Strong and consistent nasal anti-NP and anti-S IgA responses were demonstrated, which remained elevated for nine months (p < 0.0001). Nasal and plasma anti-S IgG remained elevated for at least 12 months (p < 0.0001) with plasma neutralising titres that were raised against all variants compared to controls (p < 0.0001). Of 323 with complete data, 307 were vaccinated between 6 and 12 months; coinciding with rises in nasal and plasma IgA and IgG anti-S titres for all SARS-CoV-2 variants, although the change in nasal IgA was minimal (1.46-fold change after 10 months, p = 0.011) and the median remained below the positive threshold determined by pre-pandemic controls. Samples 12 months after admission showed no association between nasal IgA and plasma IgG anti-S responses (R = 0.05, p = 0.18), indicating that nasal IgA responses are distinct from those in plasma and minimally boosted by vaccination. INTERPRETATION: The decline in nasal IgA responses 9 months after infection and minimal impact of subsequent vaccination may explain the lack of long-lasting nasal defence against reinfection and the limited effects of vaccination on transmission. These findings highlight the need to develop vaccines that enhance nasal immunity. FUNDING: This study has been supported by ISARIC4C and PHOSP-COVID consortia. ISARIC4C is supported by grants from the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council. Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre provided infrastructure support for this research. The PHOSP-COVD study is jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation and National Institute of Health and Care Research. The funders were not involved in the study design, interpretation of data or the writing of this manuscript
Recommended from our members
Interaction between stimulated raman scattering and ion acoustic waves in ignition relevant plasmas
We have observed that the scattering of light by stimulated Langmuir waves (SRS) in ignition scale plasmas is dependent on the properties of the ion acoustic wave, indicating that a nonlinear coupling between the two waves limits the scattered energy
Recommended from our members
Observation of multiple mechanisms for stimulating ion waves in ignition scale plasmas
The laser and plasma conditions expected in ignition experiments using indirect drive inertial confinement have been studied experimentally. It has been found that there are at least three ways in which ion waves can be stimulated in these plasmas and have significant effect on the energy balance and distribution in the target. First ion waves can be stimulated by a single laser beam by the process of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) in which an ion acoustic and a scattered electromagnetic wave grow from noise. Second, in a plasma where more than one beam intersect, ion waves can be excited at the `beat` frequency and wave number of the intersecting beams, causing the side scatter instability to be seeded, and substantial energy to be transferred between the beams [R. K. Kirkwood et. al. Phys. Re0319v. Lett. 76, 2065 (1996)]. And third, ion waves may be stimulated by the decay of electron plasma waves produced by Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS), thereby inhibiting the SRS process [R. K. Kirkwood et. al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 2706 (1996)]
Recommended from our members
The study of parametric instabilities in NIF-scale plasmas on Nova
At the same time we experimentally reproduced the plasma conditions expected within the NIF using plasmas produced by the Nova laser. The plasmas were created by irradiating a thin walled gas balloon or a sealed hohlraum containing of order one atmosphere of a low-Z gas (e.g. C{sub 5}H{sub 12}, C{sub 5}D{sub 12} or CO{sub 2}). When the gas is ionized and heated the resultant plasmas are homogeneous, and of high density ({approximately}10{sup 21} electron/cm{sup 3}) and temperature ({approximately}3 keV) with large scale density scale lengths ({approximately}2 mm). Nine of the Nova beams were used to produce the plasma, the tenth beam was configured as an interaction beam that was sent through the performed plasma after a delay of order 500 psec. The SRS and SBS scattered from the plasma, together with the effects of the plasma on the transmitted beam, were studied as a function of the interaction beam intensity, beam smoothing and plasma constituents. The interaction beam was smoothed by using radon phase plates (RPPs), and 4 different colors within the f/8 beam to mimic the NIF laser architecture. The 4-color set-up divided the f/8 beam in to 4 separate quadrants each of which had its wavelength shifted relative to the other quadrants. The wavelength separation of the colors was approximately 1.4{Angstrom} at 3{omega}. Since each beam quadrant could have its frequency conversion crystals individually tuned for its wavelength, the 4-color scheme approximated ``bandwidth`` on the interaction beam without losing 3{omega} conversion efficiency. We have also studied the use of a laser bandwidth of approximately 0.7{Angstrom} and smoothing by Spectral Dispersion (SSD) with all of the quadrants set at the same color, to further reduce the reflected SBS. These studies were performed with both f/4.3 and f/8 interaction beam focusing
Recommended from our members
Laser scattering in large-scale-length plasmas relevant to National Ignition Facility hohlraums
We have used homogeneous plasmas of high density (up to 1.3 X 10{sup 21} electrons per cm{sup 3}) and temperature ({approximately} 3 keV) with large density scale lengths ({approximately}2 mm) to approximate conditions within National Ignition Facility (NIF) hohlraums. Within these plasmas we have studied the dependence of stimulated Raman (SRS) and Brillouin (SBS) scattering on beam smoothing and plasma conditions at the relevant laser intensity (3{omega}, 2 X 10{sup 15}Wcm{sup 2}). Both SBS and SRS are reduced by the use of smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD)
Recommended from our members
Observation of multiple mechanisms for stimulating ion waves in ignition scale plasmas. Revision 1
The laser and plasma conditions expected in ignition experiments using indirect drive inertial confinement have been studied experimentally. It has been shown that there are at least three ways in which ion waves can be stimulated in these plasmas and have significant effect on the energy balance and distribution in the target. First ion waves can be stimulated by a single laser beam by the process of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) in which an ion acoustic and a scattered electromagnetic wave grow from noise. Second, in a plasma where more than one beam intersect, ion waves can Lie excited at the `beat` frequency and wave number of the intersecting beams,, causing the side scatter instability to be seeded, and substantial energy to be transferred between the beams [R. K. Kirkwood et. al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 2065 (1996)]. And third, ion waves may be stimulated by the decay of electron plasma waves produced by Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS), thereby inhibiting the SRS process [R. K. Kirkwood et. al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 2706 (1996)]
Recommended from our members
Recombination x-ray laser experiments using exploding ribbon Al targets
We present data obtained from recent recombination x-ray laser experiments carried out at the Nova and Phebus lasers using exploding ribbon Al targets irradiated with 100 ps pulses of 0.53-{mu}m light. Spatially and temporally resolved x-ray and soft x-ray spectra will be shown. These spectra revealed the plasma to be insufficiently ionized so as to produce inversions in H-like Al. Conditions were found to be appropriate for inversion in He- and Li-like Al, however, and evidence for amplification of the AlXI 105.7 {Angstrom} (5f-3d) and AlXII 88.9 (5f-3d) and 130.1 {Angstrom} (4f-3d) lines was seen. These results will be discussed in detail and related to other work regarding the discrepancies between expected and measured electron temperatures in plasmas of this type