Report
Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Humoral Responses against SARS-CoV-2 Spike

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2020.100126Get rights and content
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open access

Highlights

  • Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Spike correlate with COVID-19 severity

  • RBD-specific IgM and IgA decline more rapidly than IgG

  • SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies are elicited within 2 weeks of infection

  • Neutralizing antibodies decline significantly after resolution of the infection

Summary

SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, infecting millions of people and causing hundreds of thousands of deaths. The Spike glycoproteins of SARS-CoV-2 mediate viral entry and are the main targets for neutralizing antibodies. Understanding the antibody response directed against SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for the development of vaccine, therapeutic, and public health interventions. Here, we perform a cross-sectional study on 106 SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals to evaluate humoral responses against SARS-CoV-2 Spike. Most infected individuals elicit anti-Spike antibodies within 2 weeks of the onset of symptoms. The levels of receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) persist over time, and the levels of anti-RBD IgM decrease after symptom resolution. Although most individuals develop neutralizing antibodies within 2 weeks of infection, the level of neutralizing activity is significantly decreased over time. Our results highlight the importance of studying the persistence of neutralizing activity upon natural SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Keywords

coronavirus
COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
Spike glycoproteins
RBD
IgM
IgG
neutralization
cross-reactivity, IgA

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20

These authors contributed equally

21

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