Malaria and other infections induce polyreactive antibodies that impact SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity estimations in endemic settings

Abstract

Anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence is used to estimate the proportion of individuals within a population previously infected, to track viral transmission, and to monitor naturally and vaccine-induced immune protection. However, in sub-Saharan African settings, antibodies induced by higher exposure to pathogens may increase unspecific seroreactivity to SARS-CoV-2 antigens, resulting in false positive responses. To investigate the level and type of unspecific seroreactivitiy to SARS-CoV-2 in Africa, we measured immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, and IgM to a broad panel of antigens from different pathogens by Luminex in 602 plasma samples from African and European subjects differing in coronavirus disease 2019, malaria, and other exposures. Seroreactivity to SARS-CoV-2 antigens was higher in prepandemic African than in European samples and positively correlated with antibodies against human coronaviruses, helminths, protozoa, and especially Plasmodium falciparum. African subjects presented higher levels of autoantibodies, a surrogate of polyreactivity, which correlated with P. falciparum and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Finally, we found an improved sensitivity in the IgG assay in African samples when using urea as a chaotropic agent. In conclusion, our data suggest that polyreactive antibodies induced mostly by malaria are important mediators of the unspecific anti-SARS-CoV-2 responses, and that the use of dissociating agents in immunoassays could be useful for more accurate estimates of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in African settings.

Keywords: SARS‐CoV‐2; epidemiology; humoral immunity; immune responses; immunoglobulin; infection; malaria; polyreactivity.