Sera neutralizing activities against SARS-CoV-2 and multiple variants six month after hospitalization for COVID-19

Maureen Betton (1, 2) , Marine Livrozet (1, 2) , Delphine Planas (3, 4, 5) , Antoine Fayol (1, 2) , Blandine Monel (3) , Benoit Védie (6) , Timothée Bruel (3) , Eric Tartour (7) , Nicolas Robillard (8) , Jean-Claude Manuguerra (9) , Anne Blanchard (2) , Jade Ghosn (10, 11) , Benoit Visseaux (11, 12) , Hélène Péré (13) , David Lebeaux (8) , Olivier Schwartz (3, 4, 5) , David Veyer (8, 12) , Jean-Sébastien Hulot (1, 2) , French Covid Cohort Study Group , Claire Andréjak (14, 15, 16)

1 PARCC (UMR_S 970/ U970) - Paris-Centre de Recherche Cardiovasculaire
2 CIC 1418 - CIC - HEGP
3 CNRS-UMR3569 - Virus et Immunité - Virus and immunity
4 VRI - Vaccine Research Institute [Créteil, France]
5 IMRB - Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale
6 Service de biochimie [AP-HP Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou]
7 Laboratoire d’immunologie [Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou - APHP]
8 Service de Microbiologie [CHU GeorgesPompidou]
9 CIBU - Cellule d'Intervention Biologique d'Urgence (Centre National de Référence) - Laboratory for Urgent Response to Biological Threats (National Reference Center)
10 Services de Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales [CHU Bichat]
11 IAME (UMR_S_1137 / U1137) - Infection, Anti-microbiens, Modélisation, Evolution
12 Service de Virologie [CHU Bichat]
13 CRC (UMR_S_1138 / U1138) - Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers
14 AGIR - Agents infectieux, résistance et chimiothérapie - UR UPJV 4294
15 CHU Amiens-Picardie
16 French COVID cohort study group

Background: Humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 occurs within the first weeks after COVID-19. Those antibodies exert a neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2, whose evolution overtime after COVID-19 as well as efficiency against novel variants are however poorly characterized. Methods: In this prospective study, sera of 107 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were collected at 3- and 6-months post-infection. We performed quantitative neutralization experiments on top of high-throughput serological assays evaluating anti-Spike (S) and anti-Nucleocapsid (NP) IgG. Findings: Levels of sero-neutralization and IgG rates against the ancestral strain decreased significantly over time. After 6 months, 2.8% of the patients had a negative serological status for both anti-S and anti-NP IgG. However, all sera had a persistent and effective neutralizing effect against SARS-CoV-2. IgG levels correlated with sero-neutralization and this correlation was stronger for anti-S than for anti-NP antibodies. The level of sero-neutralization quantified at 6 months correlated with markers of initial severity, notably admission in intensive care units and the need for mechanical invasive ventilation. In addition, sera collected at 6 months were tested against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants and showed efficient neutralizing effects against D614G, B.1.1.7 and P.1 variants but a significantly weaker activity against B.1.351 variant. Interpretation: Decrease of IgG rates and serological assays becoming negative did not imply loss of neutralizing capacity. Our results indicate a sustained humoral response against the ancestral strain and the D614G, B.1.1.7 and P.1 variants for at least 6 months in patients previously hospitalized for COVID-19. A weaker protection was however observed for the B.1.351 variant.

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Maureen Betton, Marine Livrozet, Delphine Planas, Antoine Fayol, Blandine Monel, et al.. Sera neutralizing activities against SARS-CoV-2 and multiple variants six month after hospitalization for COVID-19. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2021, pp.ciab308. ⟨10.1093/cid/ciab308⟩. ⟨pasteur-03229817⟩