Descriptive Evaluation of Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Plasma and Gingival Crevicular Fluid in a Nursing Home Cohort—Arkansas, June–August 2020

Author(s):  
Nicole E. Brown ◽  
Amanda K. Lyons ◽  
Amy J. Schuh ◽  
Megan M. Stumpf ◽  
Jennifer L. Harcourt ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: Characterize and compare SARS-CoV-2–specific immune responses in plasma and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) from nursing home residents during and after natural infection Design: Prospective cohort Setting: Nursing home Participants: SARS-CoV-2–infected nursing home residents Methods: A convenience sample of 14 SARS-CoV-2–infected nursing home residents, enrolled 4–13 days after real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction diagnosis, were followed for 42 days. Post diagnosis, plasma SARS-CoV-2–specific pan-Immunoglobulin (Ig), IgG, IgA, IgM, and neutralizing antibodies were measured at 5 timepoints and GCF SARS-CoV-2–specific IgG and IgA were measured at 4 timepoints. Results: All participants demonstrated immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among 12 phlebotomized participants, plasma was positive for pan-Ig and IgG in all 12, neutralizing antibodies in 11, IgM in 10, and IgA in 9. Among 14 participants with GCF specimens, GCF was positive for IgG in 13 and IgA in 12. Immunoglobulin responses in plasma and GCF had similar kinetics; median times to peak antibody response was similar across specimen types (4 weeks for IgG; 3 weeks for IgA). Participants with pan-Ig, IgG, and IgA detected in plasma and GCF IgG remained positive through this evaluation’s end 46–55 days post-diagnosis. All participants were viral culture negative by the first detection of antibodies. Conclusions: Nursing home residents had detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in plasma and GCF after infection. Kinetics of antibodies detected in GCF mirrored those from plasma. Non-invasive GCF may be useful for detecting and monitoring immunologic responses in populations unable or unwilling to be phlebotomized.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Sánchez-Sendra ◽  
Eliseo Albert ◽  
Joao Zulaica ◽  
Ignacio Torres ◽  
Estela Giménez ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTImmunosenescence may impact the functionality and breadth of vaccine-elicited humoral immune responses. The ability of sera to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) from Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon variants of concern (VOCs) relative to the ancestral Wuhan-Hu-1 strain was compared in Comirnaty® COVID-19-vaccinated elderly nursing home residents (n=30) or younger individuals (n=18) and non-vaccinated individuals who recovered from severe COVID-19 (n=19). In all groups, some participants lacked NtAb against one or more VOCs, mainly the Beta variant (15-20%). Serum NtAb titers were lowest against the Beta variant followed by Gamma, Epsilon, and Delta variants. Fold change reduction in NtAb titers relative to the ancestral strain was greatest for the Beta variant (6.7-18.8) followed by Gamma (3.6-6.2), Epsilon (2.9-5.8), and Delta (3.5-4.3) variants, regardless of the study group considered. In summary, older age, frailty, and concurrence of co-morbidities had no impact on the serum NtAb activity profile against SARS-CoV-2 VOCs.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farrell A Tobolowsky ◽  
Michelle Waltenburg ◽  
Erin D Moritz ◽  
Melia Haile ◽  
Juliana C DaSilva ◽  
...  

Importance: There are limited data describing SARS-CoV-2-specific immune responses and their durability following infection and vaccination in nursing home residents. Objective: To evaluate the quantitative titers and durability of binding antibodies detected after SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsequent COVID-19 vaccination. Design: A prospective longitudinal evaluation included nine visits over 150 days; visits included questionnaire administration, blood collection for serology, and paired anterior nasal specimen collection for testing by BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card (BinaxNOW), reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and viral culture. Setting: A nursing home during and after a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Participants: 11 consenting SARS-CoV-2-positive nursing home residents. Main Outcomes and Measures: SARS-CoV-2 testing (BinaxNOW™, RT-PCR, viral culture); quantitative titers of binding SARS-CoV-2 antibodies post-infection and post-vaccination (beginning after the first dose of the primary series). Results: Of 10 participants with post-infection serology results, 9 (90%) had detectable Pan-Ig, IgG, and IgA antibodies and 8 (80%) had detectable IgM antibodies. At first antibody detection post-infection, two-thirds (6/9, 67%) of participants were RT-PCR-positive but none were culture positive. Ten participants received vaccination; all had detectable Pan-Ig, IgG, and IgA antibodies through their final observation ≤90 days post-first dose. Post-vaccination geometric means of IgG titers were 10-200-fold higher than post-infection. Conclusions and Relevance: Nursing home residents in this cohort mounted robust immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 post-infection and post-vaccination. The augmented antibody responses post-vaccination are potential indicators of enhanced protection that vaccination may confer on previously infected nursing home residents.


Author(s):  
Ignacio Torres ◽  
Eliseo Albert ◽  
Estela Giménez ◽  
María Jesús Alcaraz ◽  
Pilar Botija ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond T. Suhandynata ◽  
Nicholas J. Bevins ◽  
Jenny T. Tran ◽  
Deli Huang ◽  
Melissa A. Hoffman ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundThe severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected over 110 million individuals and led to 2.5 million deaths worldwide. As more individuals are vaccinated, the clinical performance and utility of SARS-CoV-2 serology platforms needs to be evaluated.MethodsThe ability of four commercial SARS-CoV-2 serology platforms to detect previous infection or vaccination were evaluated using a cohort of 53 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive patients, 89 SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated healthcare workers (Pfizer or Moderna), and 127 SARS-CoV-2 negative patients. Serology results were compared to a cell based SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus (PSV) neutralizing antibodies assay.ResultsThe Roche S-(spike) antibody and Diazyme neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) assays detected adaptive immune response in 100.0% and 90.1% of vaccinated individuals who received two-doses of vaccine (initial and booster), respectively. The Roche N-(nucleocapsid) antibody assay and Diazyme IgG assay did not detect adaptive immune response in vaccinated individuals. The Diazyme Nabs assay correlated with the PSV SARS-CoV-2 ID50 neutralization titers (R2= 0.70), while correlation of the Roche S-antibody assay was weaker (R2= 0.39). Median PSV SARS-CoV-2 ID50 titers more than doubled in vaccinated individuals who received two-doses of the Moderna vaccine (ID50: 597) compared to individuals that received a single dose (ID50: 284).ConclusionsThe Roche S-antibody and Diazyme NAbs assays robustly detected adaptive immune responses in SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated individuals and SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. The Diazyme NAbs assay strongly correlates with the PSV SARS-CoV-2 NAbs in vaccinated individuals. Understanding the reactivity of commercially available serology platforms is important when distinguishing vaccination response versus natural infection.SummaryThe Roche S (spike protein)-antibody and Diazyme neutralizing-antibodies (NAbs) assays were evaluated for their clinical utility in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 related adaptive immune responses by testing SARS-CoV-2 PCR-confirmed patients, SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated individuals, and SARS-CoV-2-negative individuals. Commercial serology results were compared to results generated using a cell-based SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus (PSV) NAbs assay and previously validated SARS-CoV-2 commercial serology assays (Roche N (nucleocapsid protein) antibody and Diazyme IgG). We demonstrate that the Roche S-antibody and Diazyme NAbs assays detected adaptive immune response in SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated individuals and the presence of SARS-CoV-2 PSV NAbs. The Roche S-antibody assay had an observed positive percent agreement (PPA) of 100% for individuals who received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. By contrast, the Roche N assay and Diazyme IgG assay did not detect vaccine adaptive immune responses. Our findings also indicate that the Diazyme NAbs assay correlates strongly with the levels of SARS-CoV-2 ID50 neutralization titers using the PSV Nab assay in vaccinated individuals.


Author(s):  
Estela Giménez ◽  
Juan Alberola ◽  
Ignacio Torres ◽  
Eliseo Albert ◽  
María Jesús Alcaraz ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Schiffner ◽  
Insa Backhaus ◽  
Jens Rimmele ◽  
Sören Schulz ◽  
Till Möhlenkamp ◽  
...  

Characterization of the naturally acquired B and T cell immune responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is important for the development of public health and vaccination strategies to manage the burden of COVID-19 disease. We conducted a prospective, cross-sectional analysis in COVID-19 recovered patients at various time points over a 10-month period in order to investigate how circulating antibody levels and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release by peripheral blood cells change over time following natural infection. From March 2020 till January 2021, we enrolled 412 adults mostly with mild or moderate disease course. At each study visit, subjects donated peripheral blood for testing of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies and IFN-γ release after SARS-CoV-2 S-protein stimulation. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies were positive in 316 of 412 (76.7%) and borderline in 31 of 412 (7.5%) patients. Our confirmation assay for the presence of neutralizing antibodies was positive in 215 of 412 (52.2%) and borderline in 88 of 412 (21.4%) patients. Likewise, in 274 of 412 (66.5%) positive IFN-γ release and IgG antibodies were detected. With respect to time after infection, both IgG antibody levels and IFN-γ concentrations decreased by about half within 300 days. Statistically, production of IgG and IFN-γ were closely associated, but on an individual basis, we observed patients with high-antibody titres but low IFN-γ levels and vice versa. Our data suggest that immunological reaction is acquired in most individuals after natural infection with SARS-CoV-2 and is sustained in the majority of patients for at least 10 months after infection after a mild or moderate disease course. Since, so far, no robust marker for protection against COVID-19 exists, we recommend utilizing both, IgG and IFN-γ release for an individual assessment of the immunity status.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 171-175
Author(s):  
Lukasz Czupkallo ◽  
Mansur Rahnama ◽  
Dominik Kielbowicz ◽  
Michal Lobacz ◽  
Maryla Kozicka-Czupkallo

Abstract Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease of multifactorial etiology. In order for it to appear there must come to an imbalance between the effects of pathogens and host defense mechanisms. As a result of its course the destruction of structures supporting the teeth appears (periodontium, cement, bone), and consequently leads to teeth loosening and loss. In recent years, the participation of RANKL/RANK/OPG in bone remodeling process was highligted. At the molecular level the bone resorption is regulated through the interaction of the ligand receptor activator of nuclear NF-kappa B (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), which is a system of two proteins belonging to the protein tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Recent findings about the RANKL protein and OPG have shed new light on the previously unexplained phenomenon of the basis of bone resorption. Research has shown that both protein OPG and RANKL can be detected in gingival crevicular fluid, which has become a window of opportunity in the analysis of non-invasive markers of periodontal tissues, confirming elevated levels of RANKL protein in periodontal disease, and decreased levels of OPG protein. Bone resorption is initiated by the binding of the RANKL protein to receptors RANK present on the surface of mature osteoclasts, and their precursors, which leads to the differentiation and activation of osteoclasts. OPG, being RANKL’s inhibitor, has, in turn, opposite characteristics to RANKL, resulting in the reduction of osteoclastogenesis process. Despite all this, the exact mechanism of bone resorption has not yet been elucidated.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franco Toscani ◽  
Silvia Finetti ◽  
Fabrizio Giunco ◽  
Ines Basso ◽  
Debora Rosa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Barriers to palliative care still exist in long-term care settings for older people, which can mean that people with advanced dementia may not receive of adequate palliative care in the last days of their life; instead, they may be exposed to aggressive and/or inappropriate treatments. The aim of this multicentre study was to assess the clinical interventions and care at end of life in a cohort of nursing home (NH) residents with advanced dementia in a large Italian region. Methods: This retrospective study included a convenience sample of 29 NHs in the Lombardy Region. Data were collected from the clinical records of 482 residents with advanced dementia, who had resided in the NH for at least 6 months before death, mainly focusing on the seven days before death. Results: Most residents (97.1%) died in the NH. In the seven days before death, 20% were fed and hydrated by mouth, and 13.4% were tube fed. A median of five, often inappropriate, drugs were prescribed. Fifty-seven percent of residents had an acknowledgement of worsening condition recorded in their clinical records, a median of four days before death. Conclusions: Full implementation of palliative care was not achieved in our study, possibly due to insufficient acknowledgement of the appropriateness of some drugs and interventions, and health professionals’ lack of implementation of palliative interventions. Future studies should focus on how to improve care for NH residents.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Franco Toscani ◽  
Silvia Finetti ◽  
Fabrizio Giunco ◽  
Ines Basso ◽  
Debora Rosa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Barriers to palliative care still exist in long-term care settings for older people, which can mean that people with advanced dementia may not receive of adequate palliative care in the last days of their life; instead, they may be exposed to aggressive and/or inappropriate treatments. The aim of this multicentre study was to assess the clinical interventions and care at end of life in a cohort of nursing home (NH) residents with advanced dementia in a large Italian region. Methods This retrospective study included a convenience sample of 29 NHs in the Lombardy Region. Data were collected from the clinical records of 482 residents with advanced dementia, who had resided in the NH for at least 6 months before death, mainly focusing on the 7 days before death. Results Most residents (97.1%) died in the NH. In the 7 days before death, 20% were fed and hydrated by mouth, and 13.4% were tube fed. A median of five, often inappropriate, drugs were prescribed. Fifty-seven percent of residents had an acknowledgement of worsening condition recorded in their clinical records, a median of 4 days before death. Conclusions Full implementation of palliative care was not achieved in our study, possibly due to insufficient acknowledgement of the appropriateness of some drugs and interventions, and health professionals’ lack of implementation of palliative interventions. Future studies should focus on how to improve care for NH residents.


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