PrePrint: SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 (B.1.351) Elicits Cross-reactive Neutralizing Antibodies

Mutation of SARS-CoV2 - current variants of concern  - ECDC       

#15,853

Until today, when it comes to COVID variants, we haven't seen a lot of good news.  

Of the three variants currently considered of greatest concern, B.1.1.7 is believed more transmissible and 30%-70% deadlier, while the P.1 and B.1.351 variants are believed more transmissible, and have been linked to reduced antibody recognition, which is feared increases reinfection risks and potentially lowers the effectiveness of current vaccines.

Work is ongoing to determine whether P.1 and B.1.351 also carry a higher fatality rate. 

Simply put, prior infection with the `wild type' COVID may not prove very protective against reinfection with B.1.351 or P.1 variants (see The Lancet: Resurgence of COVID-19 in Manaus, Brazil, Despite High Seroprevalence).

Today we've a preprint (yet to be peer reviewed) that finds infection with the B.1.351 variant appears to result in a greater cross-reactive immune response, which may make reinfection less likely, and may have implications for future COVID vaccine development. 

While this doesn't eliminate the possibility that another variant might come along which is antigenically different enough to pose a reinfection threat, for now at least, this is pretty good news. 

I've only included the abstract, and a link to the full study.  So click the link to read it in its entirety.

SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 (B.1.351) elicits cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies

Thandeka Moyo-Gwete, Mashudu Madzivhandila, Zanele Makhado, Frances Ayres, Donald Mhlanga, Brent Oosthuysen, Bronwen Lambson, Prudence Kgagudi, Houriiyah Tegally, Arash Iranzadeh, Deelan Doolabh, Lynn Tyers, Lionel Chinhoyi, Mathilda Mennen, Sango Skelem, Constantinos Kurt Wibmer, Jinal Bhiman, Veronica Ueckermann, Theresa Rossouw, Michael Boswell, Tulio de Oliveira, Carolyn Williamson, Wendy Burgers, Ntobeko Ntusi, Lynn Morris, Penny Moore

doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.06.434193

This article is a preprint and has not been certified by peer review [what does this mean?].

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Abstract

Neutralization escape by SARS-CoV-2 variants, as has been observed in the 501Y.V2 (B.1.351) variant, has impacted the efficacy of first generation COVID-19 vaccines. Here, the antibody response to the 501Y.V2 variant was examined in a cohort of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in early 2021 - when over 90% of infections in South Africa were attributed to 501Y.V2.

 Robust binding and neutralizing antibody titers to the 501Y.V2 variant were detected and these binding antibodies showed high levels of cross-reactivity for the original variant, from the first wave. In contrast to an earlier study where sera from individuals infected with the original variant showed dramatically reduced potency against 501Y.V2, sera from 501Y.V2-infected patients maintained good cross-reactivity against viruses from the first wave. 

Furthermore, sera from 501Y.V2-infected patients also neutralized the 501Y.V3 (P.1) variant first described in Brazil, and now circulating globally. Collectively these data suggest that the antibody response in patients infected with 501Y.V2 has a broad specificity and that vaccines designed with the 501Y.V2 sequence may elicit more cross-reactive responses.

(Continue . . . )

One of the authors, tweeted the following summary yesterday.