by de Rioja VL, Goovaerts O, Vidal M, Amuasi J, Afum-Adjei Awuah A, Kahusu Mwan-za-k’a C, Mbala-Kingebeni P, Nyembu Kibambe R, Tshitamba M, Kazadi C, Embiale Yeshaneh W, Bedane Hunde D, Asres M, Tajebe F, Mutisse Massinga M, Maphossa V, Strauss R, Maiga Ascofare O, Monnot F, Ibnou Zekri Lassout N, Musa A, Adriaensen W, Moncunill G, & ANTICOV-IMMUNO Consortium. BMC Medicine 2026: 24(44). doi: 10.1186/s12916-025-04607-9
Summary: Immune responses after SARS-CoV-2 infection remain poorly characterized in African populations, despite widespread transmission and proportionally lower COVID-19 severity and mortality than in other regions. The authors of this manuscript aimed to define the determinants and durability of humoral and cellular immunity in sub-Saharan Africa and to identify immune correlates of protection against reinfection. 513 adults with asymptomatic or mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Mozambique were enrolled in a 12-month longitudinal immunological study between 2020 and 2022. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of SARS-CoV-2 humoral and cellular immune responses in African cohorts and identifies prior exposure and local epidemiological context as the main determinants of immune magnitude, durability, and protection, outweighing other host factors.
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