Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
[Preprint]. 2022 Mar 2:2022.03.01.22271662.
doi: 10.1101/2022.03.01.22271662.

High Viral Specific Antibody Convalescent Plasma Effectively Neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern

Affiliations

High Viral Specific Antibody Convalescent Plasma Effectively Neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern

Maggie Li et al. medRxiv. .

Update in

  • Convalescent plasma with a high level of virus-specific antibody effectively neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.
    Li M, Beck EJ, Laeyendecker O, Eby Y, Tobian AAR, Caturegli P, Wouters C, Chiklis GR, Block W, McKie RO, Joyner MJ, Wiltshire TD, Dietz AB, Gniadek TJ, Shapiro AJ, Yarava A, Lane K, Hanley DF, Bloch EM, Shoham S, Cachay ER, Meisenberg BR, Huaman MA, Fukuta Y, Patel B, Heath SL, Levine AC, Paxton JH, Anjan S, Gerber JM, Gebo KA, Casadevall A, Pekosz A, Sullivan DJ. Li M, et al. Blood Adv. 2022 Jun 28;6(12):3678-3683. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2022007410. Blood Adv. 2022. PMID: 35443020 Free PMC article.

Abstract

The ongoing evolution of SARS-Co-V2 variants to omicron severely limits available effective monoclonal antibody therapies. Effective drugs are also supply limited. Covid-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) qualified for high antibody levels effectively reduces immunocompetent outpatient hospitalization. The FDA currently allows outpatient CCP for the immunosuppressed. Viral specific antibody levels in CCP can range ten-to hundred-fold between donors unlike the uniform viral specific monoclonal antibody dosing. Limited data are available on the efficacy of polyclonal CCP to neutralize variants. We examined 108 pre-delta/pre-omicron donor units obtained before March 2021, 20 post-delta COVID-19/post-vaccination units and one pre-delta/pre-omicron hyperimmunoglobulin preparation for variant specific virus (vaccine-related isolate (WA-1), delta and omicron) neutralization correlated to Euroimmun S1 IgG antibody levels. We observed a 2-to 4-fold and 20-to 40-fold drop in virus neutralization from SARS-CoV-2 WA-1 to delta or omicron, respectively. CCP antibody levels in the upper 10% of the 108 donations as well as 100% of the post-delta COVID-19/post-vaccination units and the hyperimmunoglobulin effectively neutralized all three variants. High-titer CCP neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 variants despite no previous donor exposure to the variants.

Key points: All of the post-delta COVID-19/post vaccination convalescent plasma effectively neutralizes the omicron and delta variants.High-titer CCP and hyperimmunoglobulin neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 variants despite no previous donor exposure to the variants.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest disclosure

TG- paid consultant for Fresenius Kabi; GC and RM are on the Board of Innovative Transfusion Medicine; WB-Board of Blood Centers of America; AC- Scientific Advisory Board of Sabtherapeutics (cow-derived human immunoglobulins COVID-19 treatment and other infectious diseases) and Ortho Diagnostics Speakers Bureau; EB- member of the FDA Blood Products Advisory Committee. All other authors report no relevant disclosures.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Reduction in virus neutralization sorted by plasma type as well as an increase by Euroimmun antibody levels.
A) WA-1, delta and omicron virus microneutralization sorted by the 108 CCP units, post-delta COVID-19, post vaccination and hyperimmunoglobin. IU/mL geometric means are shown above x-axis. B) Antibody levels over 3.5 Euroimmun AU show 85% microneutralization with WA-1 and delta while omicron neutralization requires Euroimmun AU over 10 for 85% of the 108 CCP donors. Post-delta COVID-19/post vaccination retains 100% virus neutralization for the three variants. Virus neutralization is any positive IU/mL over 1. ****p<0.0001; ***p<0.001; **p<0.01
Figure 2
Figure 2. Sorting higher Euroimmun categories indicates virus neutralization to WA-1, delta and omicron.
WA-1 (A), delta (B) and omicron (C) virus microneutralization measured in CCP, post-delta COVID-19/post-vaccination and hyperimmune globulin (HIG) sorted for viral-specific antibody levels by Euroimmun arbitrary units (AU) at 1:101 dilution. IU/mL geometric means are shown above x-axis. ****p<0.0001; ***p<0.001; **p<0.01; *p<0.05

References

    1. Klein SL, Pekosz A, Park HS, et al. Sex, age, and hospitalization drive antibody responses in a COVID-19 convalescent plasma donor population. J Clin Invest. 2020;130(11):6141–6150. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Patel EU, Bloch EM, Clarke W, et al. Comparative Performance of Five Commercially Available Serologic Assays To Detect Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and Identify Individuals with High Neutralizing Titers. J Clin Microbiol. 2021;59(2). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tang MS, Case JB, Franks CE, et al. Association between SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies and Commercial Serological Assays. Clin Chem. 2020;66(12):1538–1547. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Planas D, Saunders N, Maes P, et al. Considerable escape of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron to antibody neutralization. Nature. 2021. - PubMed
    1. Cameroni E, Bowen JE, Rosen LE, et al. Broadly neutralizing antibodies overcome SARS-CoV-2 Omicron antigenic shift. Nature. 2021. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types