Abstract
Objective: Significant morbidity and mortality have occurred in the USA, Europe, and Asia due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), whereas the numbers of infections and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have remained comparatively low. It has been hypothesized that exposure of the population in SSA to other coronaviruses prior to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in some degree of cross-protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis. We evaluated this hypothesis by comparing SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactive antibodies in pre-pandemic plasma samples collected from SSA and the USA.
Method: Pre-COVID-19 pandemic plasma samples from SSA and the USA were collected and tested by immunofluorescence assay against the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of all known human coronaviruses (HCoVs).
Results: The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 serological cross-reactivity was significantly higher in samples from SSA compared with the USA. Most of these cross-reactive samples cross-recognized the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein and the spike proteins of other HCoVs. Nucleocapsid proteins from HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-229E were detected in most samples, thereby implicating prior exposure to these two HCoVs as the likely source of cross-reactive antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
Conclusion: The low incidences of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease in SSA appear to be correlated with the pre-pandemic serological cross-recognition of HCoVs, which are substantially more prevalent in SSA than the USA.
Keywords: COVID-19; Cross-reactivity; HCoV-229E; HCoV-NL63; Human coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2; Serology; Sub-Saharan Africa.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, serology, cross-reactivity, sub-Saharan Africa, HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, human coronavirus, 【초록키워드】 Europe, pandemic, Pathogenesis, cross-protection, serology, SARS-COV-2 infection, COVID-19 pandemic, Human, Infection, severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus, nucleocapsid protein, Asia, cross-reactivity, Prevalence, Severe acute respiratory syndrome, Protein, sub-Saharan Africa, immunofluorescence assay, HCoV, death, HCoV-229E, morbidity and mortality, incidence, respiratory, USA, serological, disease, cross-reactive antibodies, HCoV-NL63, Coronavirus-2, Hypothesis, Spike proteins, cross-reactive, cross-reactive antibody, exposure to, in some, acute respiratory syndrome, Recognition, acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, other coronaviruses, plasma samples, acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, Nucleocapsid proteins, HCoVs, MOST, Pre-pandemic plasma samples, SSA, prevalent, plasma sample, human coronavirus, tested, collected, occurred, remained, evaluated, other coronavirus, the spike protein, correlated, significantly higher, Significant, pre-pandemic plasma sample, the SARS-CoV-2, 【제목키워드】 Prevalence, respiratory, serological, Coronavirus-2,