Nat Med . SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 escapes neutralization by South African COVID-19 donor plasma

[tetano]

Nat Med


. 2021 Mar 2.
doi: 10.1038/s41591-021-01285-x. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 escapes neutralization by South African COVID-19 donor plasma


Constantinos Kurt Wibmer ¹ , Frances Ayres ¹ , Tandile Hermanus ¹ , Mashudu Madzivhandila ¹ , Prudence Kgagudi ¹ , Brent Oosthuysen ¹ , Bronwen E Lambson ^{1 2} , Tulio de Oliveira ³ , Marion Vermeulen ⁴ , Karin van der Berg ^{4 5} , Theresa Rossouw ⁶ , Michael Boswell ⁷ , Veronica Ueckermann ⁷ , Susan Meiring ¹ , Anne von Gottberg ^{1 8} , Cheryl Cohen ^{1 9} , Lynn Morris ^{1 2} , Jinal N Bhiman ^{# 1 10} , Penny L Moore ^{# 11 12}



Affiliations

• PMID: 33654292
• DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01285-x

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 (B.1.351), a novel lineage of coronavirus causing COVID-19, contains substitutions in two immunodominant domains of the spike protein. Here, we show that pseudovirus expressing 501Y.V2 spike protein completely escapes three classes of therapeutically relevant antibodies. This pseudovirus also exhibits substantial to complete escape from neutralization, but not binding, by convalescent plasma. These data highlight the prospect of reinfection with antigenically distinct variants and foreshadows reduced efficacy of spike-based vaccines.