Preexisting and de novo humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in humans.
Kevin W NgNikhil FaulknerGeorgina H CornishAnnachiara RosaRuth HarveySaira HussainRachel UlfertsChristopher P EarlAntoni G WrobelDonald J BentonChloe RoustanWilliam BollandRachael ThompsonAna Água-DocePhilip S HobsonJudith HeaneyHannah M RickmanStavroula ParaskevopoulouCatherine F HoulihanKirsty ThomsonEmilie SanchezGee Yen ShinMoira J SpyerDhira JoshiNicola J O'ReillyPhilip A WalkerSvend KjærAndrew RiddellCatherine MooreBethany R JebsonMeredyth Grace Llewellyn WilkinsonLucy R MarshallElizabeth C RosserAnna RadziszewskaHannah PeckhamCoziana CiurtinLucy R WedderburnRupert C L BealeCharles SwantonSonia GandhiBrigitta StockingerJohn W McCauleySteven J GamblinLaura E McCoyPeter CherepanovEleni NastouliGeorge KassiotisPublished in: Science (New York, N.Y.) (2020)
Zoonotic introduction of novel coronaviruses may encounter preexisting immunity in humans. Using diverse assays for antibodies recognizing SARS-CoV-2 proteins, we detected preexisting humoral immunity. SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S)-reactive antibodies were detectable using a flow cytometry-based method in SARS-CoV-2-uninfected individuals and were particularly prevalent in children and adolescents. They were predominantly of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) class and targeted the S2 subunit. By contrast, SARS-CoV-2 infection induced higher titers of SARS-CoV-2 S-reactive IgG antibodies targeting both the S1 and S2 subunits, and concomitant IgM and IgA antibodies, lasting throughout the observation period. SARS-CoV-2-uninfected donor sera exhibited specific neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 S pseudotypes. Distinguishing preexisting and de novo immunity will be critical for our understanding of susceptibility to and the natural course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.