Viral Load Dynamics in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Breakthrough Infections

Felix Dewald; Susanne Detmer; Martin Pirkl; Martin Hellmich; Eva Heger; Maximilian Herrmann; Clara Lehmann; Janine Zweigner; Florian Klein

doi:10.1093/infdis/jiac290

Viral Load Dynamics in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Breakthrough Infections

J Infect Dis. 2022 Nov 11;226(10):1721-1725. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiac290.

Authors

Felix Dewald^{1

2}, Susanne Detmer^{1

2}, Martin Pirkl¹, Martin Hellmich³, Eva Heger¹, Maximilian Herrmann⁴, Clara Lehmann^{5

6}, Janine Zweigner⁴, Florian Klein^{1

2

6}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
² Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
³ Institute of Medical Statistics and Computational Biology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
⁴ Department of Hospital Hygiene and Infection Control, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
⁵ Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
⁶ German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany.

Abstract

To determine viral dynamics in Omicron breakthrough infections, we measured severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA in 206 double-vaccinated or boostered individuals. During the first 3 days following the onset of symptoms, viral loads were significantly higher (cycle threshold [Ct], 21.76) in vaccinated compared to boostered (Ct, 23.14) individuals (P = .029). However, by performing a longitudinal analysis on 32 individuals over 14 days, no difference in the viral load trajectory was observed between double-vaccinated and boostered patients. Our results indicate that booster immunization results in a reduction in detectable viral loads without significantly changing viral load dynamics over time.

Keywords: Omicron; booster immunization; breakthrough infection; vaccination; viral load.

MeSH terms

Antibodies, Viral
COVID-19*
Humans
SARS-CoV-2
Serologic Tests
Viral Load

Substances

Antibodies, Viral