SARS-CoV-2 vaccines: What we know, what we can do to improve them and what we could learn from other well-known viruses

Sirio Fiorino; Andrea Carusi; Wandong Hong; Paolo Cernuschi; Claudio Giuseppe Gallo; Emanuele Ferrara; Thais Maloberti; Michela Visani; Federico Lari; Dario de Biase; Maddalena Zippi

doi:10.3934/microbiol.2022029

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines: What we know, what we can do to improve them and what we could learn from other well-known viruses

AIMS Microbiol. 2022 Nov 16;8(4):422-453. doi: 10.3934/microbiol.2022029. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine Unit, Budrio Hospital, Budrio (Bologna), Azienda USL, Bologna, Italy.
² Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang, The People's Republic of China.
³ Internal Medicine Unit, Quisana Private Hospital, Ferrara, Italy.
⁴ Emilian Physiolaser Therapy Center, Castel S. Pietro Terme, Bologna, Italy.
⁵ Internal Medicin Unit, IRCCS S.Orsola Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
⁶ Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna-Molecular Diagnostic Unit, Azienda USL di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
⁷ Solid Tumor Molecular Pathology Laboratory, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
⁸ Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
⁹ Unit of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy, Sandro Pertini Hospital, Rome, Italy.

Abstract

In recent weeks, the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections has been progressively increasing all over the globe, even in countries where vaccination programs have been strongly implemented. In these regions in 2021, a reduction in the number of hospitalizations and deaths compared to 2020 was observed. This decrease is certainly associated with the introduction of vaccination measures. The process of the development of effective vaccines represents an important challenge. Overall, the breakthrough infections occurring in vaccinated subjects are in most cases less severe than those observed in unvaccinated individuals. This review examines the factors affecting the immunogenicity of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and the possible role of nutrients in modulating the response of distinct immune cells to the vaccination.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; review; vaccine; virus.