Humoral Responses and Serological Assays in SARS-CoV-2 Infections

In December 2019, the novel betacoronavirus Severe Acute Respiratory Disease Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first detected in Wuhan, China. SARS-CoV-2 has since become a pandemic virus resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and deep socioeconomic implications worldwide. In recent months, effor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in immunology 2020-12, Vol.11, p.610688-610688
Main Authors: Galipeau, Yannick, Greig, Matthew, Liu, George, Driedger, Matt, Langlois, Marc-André
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibodies, Viral - immunology
coronavirus
COVID-19
COVID-19 - diagnosis
COVID-19 - epidemiology
COVID-19 - immunology
COVID-19 Serological Testing
Humans
humoral immunity
Immunity, Humoral
Immunology
Models, Immunological
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2
SARS-CoV-2 - immunology
serological assays
serology
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Summary:In December 2019, the novel betacoronavirus Severe Acute Respiratory Disease Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first detected in Wuhan, China. SARS-CoV-2 has since become a pandemic virus resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and deep socioeconomic implications worldwide. In recent months, efforts have been directed towards detecting, tracking, and better understanding human humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. It has become critical to develop robust and reliable serological assays to characterize the abundance, neutralization efficiency, and duration of antibodies in virus-exposed individuals. Here we review the latest knowledge on humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, along with the benefits and limitations of currently available commercial and laboratory-based serological assays. We also highlight important serological considerations, such as antibody expression levels, stability and neutralization dynamics, as well as cross-reactivity and possible immunological back-boosting by seasonal coronaviruses. The ability to accurately detect, measure and characterize the various antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2 is necessary for vaccine development, manage risk and exposure for healthcare and at-risk workers, and for monitoring reinfections with genetic variants and new strains of the virus. Having a thorough understanding of the benefits and cautions of standardized serological testing at a community level remains critically important in the design and implementation of future vaccination campaigns, epidemiological models of immunity, and public health measures that rely heavily on up-to-date knowledge of transmission dynamics.
ISSN:1664-3224
1664-3224
DOI:10.3389/fimmu.2020.610688