Introduction
SARS-CoV-2 infection
CAVITY, SARS-COV-2 INFECTION
Edited by: Mahbuba Rahman, McMaster University, CanadaReviewed by: Rupsa Basu, Humane Genomics, United States; Afsheen Raza, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar†These authors have contributed equally to this workThis article was submitted to Vaccines and Molecular Therapeutics, a section of the journal Frontiers in ImmunologyCoevolution of microbiome and immunity at mucosal sites is essential for our health. Whether the oral microbiome, the second largest community after the gut, contributes to the immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines is not known. We investigated the baseline oral microbiome in individuals in the COVAXID clinical trial receiving the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Participants (n=115) included healthy controls (HC; n=57) and people living with HIV (PLHIV; n=58) who met the study selection criteria. Vaccine-induced Spike antibodies in saliva and serum from 0 to 6 months were assessed and comparative analyses were performed against the individual salivary 16S ASV microbiome diversity. High- versus low vaccine responders were assessed on general, immunological, and oral microbiome features. Our analyses identified oral microbiome features enriched in high- SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication take place in the oral cavity and saliva (In the present study, we hypothesize that oral microbiota composition has a role in the maintenance of the salivary immunity induced by mRNA vaccination. We investigated the salivary microbiota using 16S rRNA sequencing analysis in samples obtained from healthy participants (HC) and people living with HIV (PLHIV). The aim was to characterize salivary microbiota signatures associated with a durable vaccine response capable of persisting at the oral mucosal site.