Activation of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody is slower than elevation of spike-specific IgG, IgM, and nucleocapsid-specific IgG antibodies

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 14909 - 10
• Main Authors: Takahashi, Maika, Ai, Tomohiko, Sinozuka, Konomi, Baba, Yuna, Igawa, Gene, Nojiri, Shuko, Yamamoto, Takamasa, Yuri, Maiko, Takei, Satomi, Saito, Kaori, Horiuchi, Yuki, Kanno, Takayuki, Tobiume, Minoru, Khasawneh, Abdullah, Paran, Faith Jessica, Hiki, Makoto, Wakita, Mitsuru, Miida, Takashi, Suzuki, Tadaki, Okuzawa, Atsushi, Takahashi, Kazuhisa, Naito, Toshio, Tabe, Yoko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.09.2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/250/255/2514; 692/700/139/1420; Antibodies; Antibodies, Neutralizing; Antibodies, Viral; Chemiluminescence; COVID-19; COVID-19 Testing; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Immune response; Immune response (humoral); Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; multidisciplinary; Neutralization; Nucleocapsids; SARS-CoV-2; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sensitivity and Specificity; Serology; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19073-z
• ISSN: 2045-2322

COVID-19 antibody testing has been developed to investigate humoral immune response in SARS-CoV-2 infection. To assess the serological dynamics and neutralizing potency following SARS-CoV-2 infection, we investigated the neutralizing (NT) antibody, anti-spike, and anti-nucleocapsid antibodies responses using a total of 168 samples obtained from 68 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Antibodies were measured using an authentic virus neutralization assay, the high-throughput laboratory measurements of the Abbott Alinity quantitative anti-spike receptor-binding domain IgG (S-IgG), semiquantitative anti-spike IgM (S-IgM), and anti-nucleocapsid IgG (N-IgG) assays. The quantitative measurement of S-IgG antibodies was well correlated with the neutralizing activity detected by the neutralization assay (r = 0.8943, p < 0.0001). However, the kinetics of the SARS-CoV-2 NT antibody in severe cases were slower than that of anti-S and anti-N specific antibodies. These findings indicate a limitation of using the S-IgG antibody titer, detected by the chemiluminescent immunoassay, as a direct quantitative marker of neutralizing activity capacity. Antibody testing should be carefully interpreted when utilized as a marker for serological responses to facilitate diagnostic, therapeutic, and prophylactic interventions.