scholarly journals Long-term persistence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein-specific and neutralizing antibodies in recovered COVID-19 patients

Author(s):  
Jira Chansaenroj ◽  
Ritthideach Yorsaeng ◽  
Nasamon Wanlapakorn ◽  
Chintana Chirathaworn ◽  
Natthinee Sudhinaraset ◽  
...  

Abstract Understanding antibody responses after natural severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can guide the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine schedule. This study aimed to assess the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, including anti-spike protein 1 (S1) immunoglobulin (Ig)G, anti-receptor-binding domain (RBD) total Ig, anti-S1 IgA, and neutralizing antibody against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 in a cohort of patients who were previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. Between March and May 2020, 531 individuals with virologically confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled in our immunological study. The neutralizing titers against SARS-CoV-2 were detected in 95.2%, 86.7%, 85.0%, and 85.4% of recovered COVID-19 patients at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after symptom onset, respectively. The seropositivity rate of anti-S1 IgG, anti-RBD total Ig, anti-S1 IgA, and neutralizing titers remained at 68.6%, 89.6%, 77.1%, and 85.4%, respectively, at 12 months after symptom onset. The half-life of neutralizing titers was estimated at 100.7 days (95% confidence interval = 44.5 – 327.4 days, R2 = 0.106). These results support that the decline in serum antibody levels over time depends on the symptom severity, and the individuals with high IgG antibody titers experienced a significantly longer persistence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses than those with lower titers.

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 370 (6521) ◽  
pp. 1227-1230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ania Wajnberg ◽  
Fatima Amanat ◽  
Adolfo Firpo ◽  
Deena R. Altman ◽  
Mark J. Bailey ◽  
...  

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic with millions infected and more than 1 million fatalities. Questions regarding the robustness, functionality, and longevity of the antibody response to the virus remain unanswered. Here, on the basis of a dataset of 30,082 individuals screened at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, we report that the vast majority of infected individuals with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 experience robust immunoglobulin G antibody responses against the viral spike protein. We also show that titers are relatively stable for at least a period of about 5 months and that anti-spike binding titers significantly correlate with neutralization of authentic SARS-CoV-2. Our data suggest that more than 90% of seroconverters make detectable neutralizing antibody responses. These titers remain relatively stable for several months after infection.


Author(s):  
Kai Wang ◽  
Quan-Xin Long ◽  
Hai-Jun Deng ◽  
Jie Hu ◽  
Qing-Zhu Gao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic with no licensed vaccine or specific antiviral agents for therapy. Little is known about the longitudinal dynamics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)–specific neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) in patients with COVID-19. Methods Blood samples (n = 173) were collected from 30 patients with COVID-19 over a 3-month period after symptom onset and analyzed for SARS-CoV-2–specific NAbs using the lentiviral pseudotype assay, coincident with the levels of IgG and proinflammatory cytokines. Results SARS-CoV-2–specific NAb titers were low for the first 7–10 days after symptom onset and increased after 2–3 weeks. The median peak time for NAbs was 33 days (interquartile range [IQR], 24–59 days) after symptom onset. NAb titers in 93.3% (28/30) of the patients declined gradually over the 3-month study period, with a median decrease of 34.8% (IQR, 19.6–42.4%). NAb titers increased over time in parallel with the rise in immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels, correlating well at week 3 (r = 0.41, P < .05). The NAb titers also demonstrated a significant positive correlation with levels of plasma proinflammatory cytokines, including stem cell factor (SCF), TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). Conclusions These data provide useful information regarding dynamic changes in NAbs in patients with COVID-19 during the acute and convalescent phases.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Venkata-Viswanadh Edara ◽  
Kelly E Manning ◽  
Madison Ellis ◽  
Lilin Lai ◽  
Kathryn M Moore ◽  
...  

The BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccines generate potent neutralizing antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, the global emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with mutations in the spike protein, the principal antigenic target of these vaccines, has raised concerns over the neutralizing activity of vaccine-induced antibody responses. The Omicron variant, which emerged in November 2021, consists of over 30 mutations within the spike protein. Here, we used an authentic live virus neutralization assay to examine the neutralizing activity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant against mRNA vaccine-induced antibody responses. Following the 2nd dose, we observed a 30-fold reduction in neutralizing activity against the omicron variant. Through six months after the 2nd dose, none of the sera from naive vaccinated subjects showed neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant. In contrast, recovered vaccinated individuals showed a 22-fold reduction with more than half of the subjects retaining neutralizing antibody responses. Following a booster shot (3rd dose), we observed a 14-fold reduction in neutralizing activity against the omicron variant and over 90% of boosted subjects showed neutralizing activity against the omicron variant. These findings show that a 3rd dose is required to provide robust neutralizing antibody responses against the Omicron variant.


Author(s):  
Katharine H D Crawford ◽  
Adam S Dingens ◽  
Rachel Eguia ◽  
Caitlin R Wolf ◽  
Naomi Wilcox ◽  
...  

Abstract Most individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) develop neutralizing antibodies that target the viral spike protein. In this study, we quantified how levels of these antibodies change in the months after SARS-CoV-2 infection by examining longitudinal samples collected approximately 30–152 days after symptom onset from a prospective cohort of 32 recovered individuals with asymptomatic, mild, or moderate-severe disease. Neutralizing antibody titers declined an average of about 4-fold from 1 to 4 months after symptom onset. This decline in neutralizing antibody titers was accompanied by a decline in total antibodies capable of binding the viral spike protein or its receptor-binding domain. Importantly, our data are consistent with the expected early immune response to viral infection, where an initial peak in antibody levels is followed by a decline to a lower plateau. Additional studies of long-lived B cells and antibody titers over longer time frames are necessary to determine the durability of immunity to SARS-CoV-2.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (52) ◽  
pp. eabe0367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita S. Iyer ◽  
Forrest K. Jones ◽  
Ariana Nodoushani ◽  
Meagan Kelly ◽  
Margaret Becker ◽  
...  

We measured plasma and/or serum antibody responses to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 in 343 North American patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 (of which 93% required hospitalization) up to 122 days after symptom onset and compared them to responses in 1548 individuals whose blood samples were obtained prior to the pandemic. After setting seropositivity thresholds for perfect specificity (100%), we estimated sensitivities of 95% for IgG, 90% for IgA, and 81% for IgM for detecting infected individuals between 15 and 28 days after symptom onset. While the median time to seroconversion was nearly 12 days across all three isotypes tested, IgA and IgM antibodies against RBD were short-lived with median times to seroreversion of 71 and 49 days after symptom onset. In contrast, anti-RBD IgG responses decayed slowly through 90 days with only 3 seropositive individuals seroreverting within this time period. IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 RBD were strongly correlated with anti-S neutralizing antibody titers, which demonstrated little to no decrease over 75 days since symptom onset. We observed no cross-reactivity of the SARS-CoV-2 RBD-targeted antibodies with other widely circulating coronaviruses (HKU1, 229 E, OC43, NL63). These data suggest that RBD-targeted antibodies are excellent markers of previous and recent infection, that differential isotype measurements can help distinguish between recent and older infections, and that IgG responses persist over the first few months after infection and are highly correlated with neutralizing antibodies.


2014 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 2995-3007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshikazu Honda-Okubo ◽  
Dale Barnard ◽  
Chun Hao Ong ◽  
Bi-Hung Peng ◽  
Chien-Te Kent Tseng ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAlthough the severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) epidemic was controlled by nonvaccine measures, coronaviruses remain a major threat to human health. The design of optimal coronavirus vaccines therefore remains a priority. Such vaccines present major challenges: coronavirus immunity often wanes rapidly, individuals needing to be protected include the elderly, and vaccines may exacerbate rather than prevent coronavirus lung immunopathology. To address these issues, we compared in a murine model a range of recombinant spike protein or inactivated whole-virus vaccine candidates alone or adjuvanted with either alum, CpG, or Advax, a new delta inulin-based polysaccharide adjuvant. While all vaccines protected against lethal infection, addition of adjuvant significantly increased serum neutralizing-antibody titers and reduced lung virus titers on day 3 postchallenge. Whereas unadjuvanted or alum-formulated vaccines were associated with significantly increased lung eosinophilic immunopathology on day 6 postchallenge, this was not seen in mice immunized with vaccines formulated with delta inulin adjuvant. Protection against eosinophilic immunopathology by vaccines containing delta inulin adjuvants correlated better with enhanced T-cell gamma interferon (IFN-γ) recall responses rather than reduced interleukin-4 (IL-4) responses, suggesting that immunopathology predominantly reflects an inadequate vaccine-induced Th1 response. This study highlights the critical importance for development of effective and safe coronavirus vaccines of selection of adjuvants based on the ability to induce durable IFN-γ responses.IMPORTANCECoronaviruses such as SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cause high case fatality rates and remain major human public health threats, creating a need for effective vaccines. While coronavirus antigens that induce protective neutralizing antibodies have been identified, coronavirus vaccines present a unique problem in that immunized individuals when infected by virus can develop lung eosinophilic pathology, a problem that is further exacerbated by the formulation of SARS-CoV vaccines with alum adjuvants. This study shows that formulation of SARS-CoV spike protein or inactivated whole-virus vaccines with novel delta inulin-based polysaccharide adjuvants enhances neutralizing-antibody titers and protection against clinical disease but at the same time also protects against development of lung eosinophilic immunopathology. It also shows that immunity achieved with delta inulin adjuvants is long-lived, thereby overcoming the natural tendency for rapidly waning coronavirus immunity. Thus, delta inulin adjuvants may offer a unique ability to develop safer and more effective coronavirus vaccines.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J Tighe ◽  
Richard A Urbanowicz ◽  
Lucy Fairclough ◽  
C Patrick McClure ◽  
Brian J Thomson ◽  
...  

COVID-19 continues to cause a pandemic, having infected more than 20 million people globally. Successful elimination of the SARS-CoV-2 virus will require an effective vaccine. However, the immune correlates of infection are currently poorly understood. While neutralizing antibodies are believed to be essential for protection against infection, the contribution of the neutralizing antibody response to resolution of SARS-CoV-2 infection has not yet been defined. In this study the antibody responses to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and nucleocapsid proteins were investigated in a UK patient cohort, using optimised immunoassays and a retrovirus-based pseudotype entry assay. It was discovered that in severe COVID-19 infections an early antibody response to both antigens was associated with improved prognosis of infection. While not all SARS-CoV-2-reactive sera were found to possess neutralizing antibodies, neutralizing potency of sera was found to be greater in patients who went on to resolve infection, compared with those that died from COVID-19. Furthermore, viral genetic variation in spike protein was found to influence the production of neutralizing antibodies. Infection with the recently described spike protein variant 614G produced higher levels of neutralizing antibodies when compared to viruses possessing the 614D variant. These findings support the assertion that vaccines targeting generation of neutralizing antibodies may be useful at limiting SARS-CoV-2 infection. Assessment of the antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 at time of diagnosis will be a useful addition to the diagnostic toolkit, enabling stratification of clinical intervention for severe COVID-19 disease.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric D. Laing ◽  
Nusrat J. Epsi ◽  
Stephanie A. Richard ◽  
Emily C. Samuels ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTImportanceThe persistence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies may be a predictive correlate of protection for both natural infections and vaccinations. Identifying predictors of robust antibody responses is important to evaluate the risk of re-infection / vaccine failure and may be translatable to vaccine effectiveness.ObjectiveTo 1) determine the durability of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and neutralizing antibodies in subjects who experienced mild and moderate to severe COVID-19, and 2) to evaluate the correlation of age and IgG responses to both endemic human seasonal coronaviruses (HCoVs) and SARS-CoV-2 according to infection outcome.DesignLongitudinal serum samples were collected from PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 positive participants (U.S. active duty service members, dependents and military retirees, including a range of ages and demographics) who sought medical treatment at seven U.S. military hospitals from March 2020 to March 2021 and enrolled in a prospective observational cohort study.ResultsWe observed SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in 100% of inpatients followed for six months (58/58) to one year (8/8), while we observed seroreversion in 5% (9/192) of outpatients six to ten months after symptom onset, and 18% (2/11) of outpatients followed for one year. Both outpatient and inpatient anti-SARS-CoV-2 binding-IgG responses had a half-life (T1/2) of >1000 days post-symptom onset. The magnitude of neutralizing antibodies (geometric mean titer, inpatients: 378 [246-580, 95% CI] versus outpatients: 83 [59-116, 95% CI]) and durability (inpatients: 65 [43-98, 95% CI] versus outpatients: 33 [26-40, 95% CI]) were associated with COVID-19 severity. Older age was a positive correlate with both higher IgG binding and neutralizing antibody levels when controlling for COVID-19 hospitalization status. We found no significant relationships between HCoV antibody responses and COVID-19 clinical outcomes, or the development of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies.Conclusions and RelevanceThis study demonstrates that humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection are robust on longer time-scales, including those arising from milder infections.However, the magnitude and durability of the antibody response after natural infection was lower and more variable in younger participants who did not require hospitalization for COVID-19. These findings support vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in all suitable populations including those individuals that have recovered from natural infection.


Author(s):  
Kai Wang ◽  
Quan-Xin Long ◽  
Hai-Jun Deng ◽  
Jie Hu ◽  
Qing-Zhu Gao ◽  
...  

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic with no licensed vaccine or specific antiviral agents for therapy. Little is known about the longitudinal dynamics of SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) in COVID-19 patients. Methods Blood samples (n=173) were collected from 30 COVID-19 patients over a 3-month period after symptom onset and analyzed for SARS-CoV-2-specific NAbs, using the lentiviral pseudotype assay, coincident with the levels of IgG and proinflammatory cytokines. Results SARS-CoV-2-specific NAb titers were low for the first 7-10 d after symtom onset and increased after 2-3 weeks. The median peak time for NAbs was 33 d (IQR 24-59 d) after symptom onset. NAb titers in 93.3% (28/30) of the patients declined gradually over the 3-month study period, with a median decrease of 34.8% (IQR 19.6-42.4%). NAb titers increased over time in parallel with the rise in IgG antibody levels, correlating well at week 3 (r = 0.41, p < 0.05). The NAb titers also demonstrated a significant positive correlation with levels of plasma proinflammatory cytokines, including SCF, TRAIL, and M-CSF. Conclusions These data provide useful information regarding dynamic changes in NAbs in COVID-19 patients during the acute and convalescent phases.


2021 ◽  
pp. eabi8452
Author(s):  
Craig Fenwick ◽  
Priscilla Turelli ◽  
Céline Pellaton ◽  
Alex Farina ◽  
Jérémy Campos ◽  
...  

The detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific antibodies in the serum of an individual indicates prior infection or vaccination. However, it provides limited insight into the protective nature of this immune response. Neutralizing antibodies recognizing the viral spike protein are more revealing, yet their measurement traditionally requires virus- and cell-based systems that are costly, time-consuming, inflexible, and potentially biohazardous. Here, we present a cell-free quantitative neutralization assay based on the competitive inhibition of trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding to the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. This high-throughput method matches the performance of the gold standard live virus infection assay, as verified with a panel of 206 seropositive donors with varying degrees of infection severity and virus-specific IgG titers, achieving 96.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Furthermore, it allows for the parallel assessment of neutralizing activities against multiple SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variants of concern. We used our assay to profile serum samples from 59 patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We found that, although most sera had high activity against the 2019-nCoV parental spike protein and, to a lesser extent, the α (B.1.1.7) variant, only 58% of serum samples could efficiently neutralize a spike protein derivative containing mutations present in the β (B.1.351) variant. Thus, we have developed an assay that can evaluate effective neutralizing antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variants of concern after natural infection and that can be applied to characterize vaccine-induced antibody responses or to assess the potency of monoclonal antibodies.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document