Open AccessExamination of Homologies between COVID-19 Vaccines and Common Allergens: The Potential for T Cell-mediated Responses for Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma
Author(s) -
Micah Hartwell,
Ben Greiner,
Savannah Nicks
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
infectious diseases and immunity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2096-9511
pISSN - 2693-8839
DOI - 10.1097/id9.0000000000000056
Subject(s) - immunology , asthma , vaccination , allergy , cross reactivity , virus , medicine , virology , biology , antigen , cross reactions
As the SARS-CoV-2 virus shares relatively large protein sequences homologous to grass pollens, dust mites, and molds, our objective was to assess the potential overlap between the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna and known allergens. We found 7 common allergens with potential for cross-reactivity with the Pfizer vaccine and 19 with the Moderna vaccine, including common grasses, molds, and dust mites. T-cell mediated antigen cross-reactivity between viruses and allergens is a relatively new area of study in clinical immunology; a discipline that may be particularly useful regarding the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the allergic response in humans. These results suggest that vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may contribute to T-cell cross-reactivity with allergens that impact allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis. Further research should assess the clinical implications of COVID-19 vaccination on the severity and symptomatology of the allergic disease, in addition to natural viral infection.