The Relationship Between SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody Titers and Avidity in Plasma Collected From Convalescent Nonvaccinated and Vaccinated Blood Donors

Abstract Convalescent plasma (CP) treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has shown significant therapeutic effect when administered early (eg, Argentinian trial showing reduced hospitalization) but has in general been ineffective (eg, REMAP-CAP trial without improvement during hospitalization). To investigate whether the differences in CP used could explain the different outcomes, we compared neutralizing antibodies, anti-spike IgG, and avidity of CP used in the REMAP-CAP and Argentinian trials and in convalescent vaccinees. We found no difference between the trial plasmas, emphasizing initial patient serostatus as treatment efficacy predictor. By contrast, vaccinee CP showed significantly higher titers and avidity, being preferable for future CP treatment. Clinical Trials Registration . NCT02735707 and NCT04479163. Outcomes of 2 clinical SARS-CoV-2 convalescent plasma treatment trials, one effective the other ineffective, were not explained by serological markers of the convalescent plasma used. Start of treatment in relation to disease progression was likely the key factor that determined success.