G. E. Hartley, E. Edwards, P. Aui, N. Varese, S. Stojanovic, J. McMahon, A. Peleg, I. Boo, H. Drummer, P. Hogarth, R. O’Hehir, M. V. van Zelm
medRxiv, 2020
Background: Lasting immunity to SARS-CoV-2 following infection is questioned because serum antibodies decline in convalescence. However, functional immunity is mediated by long-lived memory T and B (Bmem) cells. Objective: To determine the longevity and immunophenotype of SARS-CoV-2-specific Bmem cells in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Recombinant spike receptor binding domain (RBD) and nucleocapsid protein (NCP) were produced for ELISA-based serology, and biotinylated for fluorescent tetramer generation to identify SARS-CoV-2-specific Bmem cells by flow cytometry with a panel of 13 mAbs. 36 blood samples were obtained from 25 COVID-19 patients (11 paired) between 4-242 days post-symptom onset for detection of neutralizing antibodies, IgG serology and flow cytometry. Results: The recombinant RBD and NCP were specifically recognized by serum IgG in all patients and reactivity declined >20 days post-symptom onset. All patients had detectable RBD- and NCP-specific Bmem cells at 8.23-267.6 cells/ml of blood (0.004-0.13% of B cells) regardless of sampling time. RBD- and NCP-specific Bmem cells predominantly expressed IgM or IgG1, with the latter formed slightly later than the former. RBD-specific IgG+ Bmem were predominantly CD27+, and numbers significantly correlated with circulating follicular helper T cell numbers. Conclusion: RBD- and NCP-specific Bmem cells persisted for 8 months, indicating that the decline in serum antibodies after 1 month does not indicate waning of immunity but a contraction of the immune response. Flowcytometric detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific Bmem cells enables detection of long-term functional immunity following infection or vaccination for COVID-19.
Cited by 4 publications.
Field of study: Medicine