tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Sci Rep
. 2025 Feb 14;15(1):5549.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-89940-y. Population shift in antibody immunity following the emergence of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern
Jinal N Bhiman[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Vimbai Sharon Madzorera[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Qiniso Mkhize[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Cathrine Scheepers[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Tandile Hermanus[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Frances Ayres[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Zanele Makhado[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Thandeka Moyo-Gwete[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Carol Crowther[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Beverley Singh[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mirriam Fortuin[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Edmore Marinda[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Sean Jooste[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Khangelani Zuma[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Nompumelelo Zungu[SUP] 5 7 [/SUP], Lynn Morris[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Adrian Puren[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Leickness Simbayi[SUP] 5 8 [/SUP], Sizulu Moyo[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Penny L Moore[SUP] 9 10 11 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOCs) exhibit escape from pre-existing immunity and elicit variant-specific immune responses. In South Africa, the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections was driven by the Beta VOC, which coincided with the country-wide National COVID-19 Antibody Survey (NCAS). The NCAS was conducted between November 2020 and February 2021 to understand the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection through seroprevalence. We evaluated 649 NCAS sera for spike binding and pseudovirus neutralizing antibodies. We classified individuals as ancestral or D614G neutralizers (114/649), Beta neutralizers (96/649), double neutralizers (375/649) or non-neutralizers (62/649). We observed a consistent decrease in preferential neutralization against the D614G variant from 68 to 18% of individuals over the four sampling months. Concurrently, samples with equivalent neutralization of both variants, or with enhanced neutralization of the Beta variant, increased from 32 to 82% of samples. Neutralization data showed that geometric mean titers (GMTs) against D614G dropped 2.4-fold, while GMTs against Beta increased 2-fold during this same period. A shift in population humoral immunity in favor of Beta-directed or cross-neutralizing antibody responses, paralleled the increase in genomic frequency of the Beta variant in South Africa. Understanding similar population immunity shifts could elucidate immunity gaps that drive SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
Keywords: Antibody immunity; Beta variant; Neutralizing antibodies; Population shift; SARS-CoV-2; South Africa.
. 2025 Feb 14;15(1):5549.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-89940-y. Population shift in antibody immunity following the emergence of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern
Jinal N Bhiman[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Vimbai Sharon Madzorera[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Qiniso Mkhize[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Cathrine Scheepers[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Tandile Hermanus[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Frances Ayres[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Zanele Makhado[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Thandeka Moyo-Gwete[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Carol Crowther[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Beverley Singh[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mirriam Fortuin[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Edmore Marinda[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Sean Jooste[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Khangelani Zuma[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Nompumelelo Zungu[SUP] 5 7 [/SUP], Lynn Morris[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Adrian Puren[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Leickness Simbayi[SUP] 5 8 [/SUP], Sizulu Moyo[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Penny L Moore[SUP] 9 10 11 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 39953108
- PMCID: PMC11828959
- DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-89940-y
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOCs) exhibit escape from pre-existing immunity and elicit variant-specific immune responses. In South Africa, the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections was driven by the Beta VOC, which coincided with the country-wide National COVID-19 Antibody Survey (NCAS). The NCAS was conducted between November 2020 and February 2021 to understand the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection through seroprevalence. We evaluated 649 NCAS sera for spike binding and pseudovirus neutralizing antibodies. We classified individuals as ancestral or D614G neutralizers (114/649), Beta neutralizers (96/649), double neutralizers (375/649) or non-neutralizers (62/649). We observed a consistent decrease in preferential neutralization against the D614G variant from 68 to 18% of individuals over the four sampling months. Concurrently, samples with equivalent neutralization of both variants, or with enhanced neutralization of the Beta variant, increased from 32 to 82% of samples. Neutralization data showed that geometric mean titers (GMTs) against D614G dropped 2.4-fold, while GMTs against Beta increased 2-fold during this same period. A shift in population humoral immunity in favor of Beta-directed or cross-neutralizing antibody responses, paralleled the increase in genomic frequency of the Beta variant in South Africa. Understanding similar population immunity shifts could elucidate immunity gaps that drive SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
Keywords: Antibody immunity; Beta variant; Neutralizing antibodies; Population shift; SARS-CoV-2; South Africa.