Humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant and nonpregnant women following infectionAJOG Global Reports at a Glance

Marni B. Jacobs, PhD; Holly D. Valentine, MPH; Sierra Adkins; Celestine Magallanes, BS; Sydney C. Morgan, PhD; Lissa M. Pereira, MS; Chandana Tekkatte, MS; Abbas Hakim, BS; Peter De Hoff, PhD; Louise C. Laurent, MD, PhD; Priyadarshini Pantham, PhD

AJOG Global Reports (May 2023)

Humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant and nonpregnant women following infectionAJOG Global Reports at a Glance

Marni B. Jacobs, PhD,
Holly D. Valentine, MPH,
Sierra Adkins,
Celestine Magallanes, BS,
Sydney C. Morgan, PhD,
Lissa M. Pereira, MS,
Chandana Tekkatte, MS,
Abbas Hakim, BS,
Peter De Hoff, PhD,
Louise C. Laurent, MD, PhD,
Priyadarshini Pantham, PhD

Affiliations

Marni B. Jacobs, PhD: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (Dr Jacobs, Mses Valentine, Adkins, and Magallanes, Dr Morgan, Mses Pereira and Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham); Corresponding author: Marni B. Jacobs, PhD.
Holly D. Valentine, MPH: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (Dr Jacobs, Mses Valentine, Adkins, and Magallanes, Dr Morgan, Mses Pereira and Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham)
Sierra Adkins: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (Dr Jacobs, Mses Valentine, Adkins, and Magallanes, Dr Morgan, Mses Pereira and Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham)
Celestine Magallanes, BS: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (Dr Jacobs, Mses Valentine, Adkins, and Magallanes, Dr Morgan, Mses Pereira and Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham)
Sydney C. Morgan, PhD: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (Dr Jacobs, Mses Valentine, Adkins, and Magallanes, Dr Morgan, Mses Pereira and Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham)
Lissa M. Pereira, MS: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (Dr Jacobs, Mses Valentine, Adkins, and Magallanes, Dr Morgan, Mses Pereira and Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham)
Chandana Tekkatte, MS: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (Dr Jacobs, Mses Valentine, Adkins, and Magallanes, Dr Morgan, Mses Pereira and Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham); Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, San Diego, CA (Ms Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham).
Abbas Hakim, BS: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (Dr Jacobs, Mses Valentine, Adkins, and Magallanes, Dr Morgan, Mses Pereira and Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham); Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, San Diego, CA (Ms Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham).
Peter De Hoff, PhD: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (Dr Jacobs, Mses Valentine, Adkins, and Magallanes, Dr Morgan, Mses Pereira and Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham); Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, San Diego, CA (Ms Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham).
Louise C. Laurent, MD, PhD: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (Dr Jacobs, Mses Valentine, Adkins, and Magallanes, Dr Morgan, Mses Pereira and Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham); Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, San Diego, CA (Ms Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham).
Priyadarshini Pantham, PhD: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (Dr Jacobs, Mses Valentine, Adkins, and Magallanes, Dr Morgan, Mses Pereira and Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham); Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, San Diego, CA (Ms Tekkatte, Mr Hakim, and Drs Dehoff, Laurent, and Pantham).

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 3, no. 2
p. 100192

Abstract

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BACKGROUND: Immune changes that occur during pregnancy may place pregnant women at an increased risk for severe disease following viral infections like SARS-CoV-2. Whether these immunologic changes modify the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy is not well understood. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant and nonpregnant women. The immune response following vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 was also explored. STUDY DESIGN: In this cohort study, 24 serum samples from 20 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy were matched by number of days after a positive test with 46 samples from 40 nonpregnant women of reproductive age. Samples from 9 patients who were vaccinated during pregnancy were also examined. Immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M levels were measured. Trends in the log antibody levels over time and mean antibody levels were assessed using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: The median number of days from first positive test to sampling was 6.5 in the pregnant group (range, 3–97) and 6.0 among nonpregnant participants (range, 2–97). No significant differences in demographic or sampling characteristics were noted between the groups. No differences in immunoglobulin G or immunoglobulin M levels over time or mean antibody levels were noted among pregnant and nonpregnant participants following SARS-CoV-2 infection for any of the SARS-CoV-2 antigen targets examined (spike, spike receptor-binding domain, spike N-terminal domain, and nucleocapsid). Participants who were vaccinated during pregnancy had higher immunoglobulin G levels than pregnant patients who tested positive for all SARS-CoV-2 targets except nucleocapsid antibodies (all P<.001) and had lower immunoglobulin M spike (P<.05) and receptor-binding domain (P<.01) antibody levels. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the humoral response following SARS-CoV-2 infection does not seem to differ between pregnant women and their nonpregnant counterparts. These findings should reassure patients and healthcare providers that pregnant patients seem to mount a nondifferential immune response to SARS-CoV-2.

Published in AJOG Global Reports

ISSN: 2666-5778 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Gynecology and obstetrics
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/ajog-global-reports

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