Age associated SARS-CoV-2 immune responses provide insights into population immunity over four years since the COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract As SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to emerge, the extent of their impact on shaping population immunity through repeated waves remains poorly understood. This study assessed age-specific immune responses and the effects of vaccination on neutralization against wild-type (WT) and JN.1 variants....
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-05737-z |
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| author | Nungruthai Suntronwong Suvichada Assawakosri Sirapa Klinfueng Thaneeya Duangchinda Warangkana Chantima Pattarakul Pakchotanon Pornjarim Nilyanimit Preeyaporn Vichaiwattana Ratchadawan Aeemjinda Lakkhana Wongsrisang Sumeth Korkong Sitthichai Kanokudom Jiratchaya Puenpa Yong Poovorawan |
| author_facet | Nungruthai Suntronwong Suvichada Assawakosri Sirapa Klinfueng Thaneeya Duangchinda Warangkana Chantima Pattarakul Pakchotanon Pornjarim Nilyanimit Preeyaporn Vichaiwattana Ratchadawan Aeemjinda Lakkhana Wongsrisang Sumeth Korkong Sitthichai Kanokudom Jiratchaya Puenpa Yong Poovorawan |
| author_sort | Nungruthai Suntronwong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract As SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to emerge, the extent of their impact on shaping population immunity through repeated waves remains poorly understood. This study assessed age-specific immune responses and the effects of vaccination on neutralization against wild-type (WT) and JN.1 variants. We analyzed 4,371 serum samples from individuals aged 6 months–80 years (May-August 2024). We found that 95.1% of participants had detectable anti-N Ig, suggesting widespread prior infection. Among unvaccinated children (6 months–4 years), 96.5% exhibited anti-RBD or anti-N Ig antibodies mostly from asymptomatic infections. Neutralization against JN.1 did not significantly differ by age, but children aged 6 months–4 years exhibited higher JN.1 neutralization than WT, while individuals aged ≥ 12 years showed the opposite pattern. Unvaccinated individuals demonstrated stronger neutralization against JN.1, whereas vaccinated participants had lower neutralization against JN.1 relative to WT, regardless of vaccine dose. No significant differences in JN.1 neutralization were observed across vaccine doses or age groups. Although 86.5% of participants exhibited neutralizing activity against JN.1, the titers remained relatively low. These findings highlight that almost all children experienced asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggest that natural exposure maintains immunity in adults. Infection-driven boosting may improve community-wide protection and alleviate immune imprinting, offering key insights for optimizing vaccine strategies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c0e77237e7ac4f14ac6ebbf30600879e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-c0e77237e7ac4f14ac6ebbf30600879e2025-08-20T03:03:40ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111110.1038/s41598-025-05737-zAge associated SARS-CoV-2 immune responses provide insights into population immunity over four years since the COVID-19 pandemicNungruthai Suntronwong0Suvichada Assawakosri1Sirapa Klinfueng2Thaneeya Duangchinda3Warangkana Chantima4Pattarakul Pakchotanon5Pornjarim Nilyanimit6Preeyaporn Vichaiwattana7Ratchadawan Aeemjinda8Lakkhana Wongsrisang9Sumeth Korkong10Sitthichai Kanokudom11Jiratchaya Puenpa12Yong Poovorawan13Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn UniversityCenter of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn UniversityCenter of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn UniversityMolecular Biology of Dengue and Flaviviruses Research Team, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Development Agency, NSTDADivision of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever Research, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol UniversityMolecular Biology of Dengue and Flaviviruses Research Team, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Development Agency, NSTDACenter of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn UniversityCenter of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn UniversityCenter of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn UniversityCenter of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn UniversityCenter of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn UniversityCenter of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn UniversityCenter of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn UniversityCenter of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn UniversityAbstract As SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to emerge, the extent of their impact on shaping population immunity through repeated waves remains poorly understood. This study assessed age-specific immune responses and the effects of vaccination on neutralization against wild-type (WT) and JN.1 variants. We analyzed 4,371 serum samples from individuals aged 6 months–80 years (May-August 2024). We found that 95.1% of participants had detectable anti-N Ig, suggesting widespread prior infection. Among unvaccinated children (6 months–4 years), 96.5% exhibited anti-RBD or anti-N Ig antibodies mostly from asymptomatic infections. Neutralization against JN.1 did not significantly differ by age, but children aged 6 months–4 years exhibited higher JN.1 neutralization than WT, while individuals aged ≥ 12 years showed the opposite pattern. Unvaccinated individuals demonstrated stronger neutralization against JN.1, whereas vaccinated participants had lower neutralization against JN.1 relative to WT, regardless of vaccine dose. No significant differences in JN.1 neutralization were observed across vaccine doses or age groups. Although 86.5% of participants exhibited neutralizing activity against JN.1, the titers remained relatively low. These findings highlight that almost all children experienced asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggest that natural exposure maintains immunity in adults. Infection-driven boosting may improve community-wide protection and alleviate immune imprinting, offering key insights for optimizing vaccine strategies.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-05737-zCOVID-19AntibodySARS-CoV-2OmicronSeroprevalenceJN.1 |
| spellingShingle | Nungruthai Suntronwong Suvichada Assawakosri Sirapa Klinfueng Thaneeya Duangchinda Warangkana Chantima Pattarakul Pakchotanon Pornjarim Nilyanimit Preeyaporn Vichaiwattana Ratchadawan Aeemjinda Lakkhana Wongsrisang Sumeth Korkong Sitthichai Kanokudom Jiratchaya Puenpa Yong Poovorawan Age associated SARS-CoV-2 immune responses provide insights into population immunity over four years since the COVID-19 pandemic Scientific Reports COVID-19 Antibody SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Seroprevalence JN.1 |
| title | Age associated SARS-CoV-2 immune responses provide insights into population immunity over four years since the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full | Age associated SARS-CoV-2 immune responses provide insights into population immunity over four years since the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Age associated SARS-CoV-2 immune responses provide insights into population immunity over four years since the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Age associated SARS-CoV-2 immune responses provide insights into population immunity over four years since the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_short | Age associated SARS-CoV-2 immune responses provide insights into population immunity over four years since the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_sort | age associated sars cov 2 immune responses provide insights into population immunity over four years since the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | COVID-19 Antibody SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Seroprevalence JN.1 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-05737-z |
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