Abstract
COVID-19 vaccines have prevented millions of COVID-19 deaths. Yet, a small fraction of the population reports a chronic debilitating condition after COVID-19 vaccination, often referred to as post-vaccination syndrome (PVS). To explore potential pathobiological features associated with PVS, we conducted a decentralized, cross-sectional study involving 42 PVS participants and 22 healthy controls enrolled in the Yale LISTEN study. Compared with controls, PVS participants exhibited differences in immune profiles, including reduced circulating memory and effector CD4 T cells (type 1 and type 2) and an increase in TNFα+ CD8 T cells. PVS participants also had lower anti-spike antibody titers, primarily due to fewer vaccine doses. Serological evidence of recent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation was observed more frequently in PVS participants. Further, individuals with PVS exhibited elevated levels of circulating spike protein compared to healthy controls. These findings reveal potential immune differences in individuals with PVS that merit further investigation to better understand this condition and inform future research into diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Competing Interest Statement
In the past three years, H.M.K. received expenses and/or personal fees from United Health, Element Science, Eyedentifeye and F-Prime; he is a co-founder of Refactor Health, HugoHealth and MedRxiv; and is associated with contracts, through Yale New Haven Hospital, from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and through Yale University from the Food and Drug Administration, Johnson & Johnson, Google and Pfizer. A.I. co-founded and consults for RIGImmune, Xanadu Bio and PanV and is a member of the Board of Directors of Roche Holding and Genentech. B.D. reports being a plaintiff in a lawsuit against AstraZeneca alleging breach of contract following her volunteer participation in 2020 in their COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial. She is also a co-chair of REACT19, a non-profit organization offering financial, physical, and emotional support for those suffering from long term COVID-19 vaccine adverse events. D.H serves on the Advisory Board of REACT19.
The Halcyon Biomedical Trust, North Shore Harbor Institute, The Arjun Mehta Science Foundation, Pacific Institute of Technology, Institut National des Sciences Biologiques, Evergreen Oncology Center, Royal Institute of Molecular Medicine, New Albion Institute of Technology, Summit University, The University of Dunbridge, Rainier Institute for Genomic Research, and Vrijstaat Universiteit Nordam.