Increased COVID-19 Mortality and Deficient SARS-CoV-2 Immune Response Are Not Associated with Higher Levels of Endemic Coronavirus Antibodies
Bindu Adhikari,
Eugene M. Oltz,
Joseph S. Bednash,
Jeffrey C. Horowitz,
Joshua O. Amimo,
Sergei A. Raev,
Soledad Fernández,
Mirela Anghelina,
Shan-Lu Liu,
Mark P. Rubinstein,
Daniel M. Jones,
Linda J. Saif,
Anastasia N. Vlasova
Affiliations
Bindu Adhikari
Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
Eugene M. Oltz
Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Joseph S. Bednash
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Jeffrey C. Horowitz
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Joshua O. Amimo
Center for Food Animal Health, Department of Animal Sciences, OARDC, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
Sergei A. Raev
Center for Food Animal Health, Department of Animal Sciences, OARDC, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
Soledad Fernández
Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine and Center for Biostatistics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Mirela Anghelina
Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine and Center for Biostatistics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Shan-Lu Liu
Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Mark P. Rubinstein
Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Daniel M. Jones
Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Linda J. Saif
Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
Anastasia N. Vlasova
Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
The impact of pre-existing common cold coronavirus (CCCoV) antibodies (Abs) on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immune responses and pathogenesis remains poorly defined. We evaluated these associations in a cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and respiratory failure of varying severity. Patients with respiratory failure from other causes (non-COVID-19) were evaluated as controls. We demonstrated a positive correlation between levels of CCCoV and SARS-CoV-2 Abs using CCCoV and SARS-CoV-2 N and S protein peptide-specific ELISA. Consistent with the above, moderately increased levels of CCCoV-specific Abs in non-COVID-19 vs. COVID-19 patients suggest potential protective effects. Further, higher SARS-CoV-2 N protein-specific and CCCoV Ab levels were observed among surviving vs. non-surviving COVID-19 positive patients. However, the highest SARS-CoV-2 N and S protein-specific IgG and IgA Ab levels were noted in the patients with the most severe clinical disease. Finally, advanced age, cancer and immunosuppression were associated with significantly higher mortality and reduced SARS-CoV-2 and CCCoV Ab levels. Thus, our data highlight that sufficient SARS-CoV-2 N protein-specific Ab responses improve clinical outcomes in severely ill COVID-19 patients. We also confirmed that pre-existing CCCoV-specific Abs do not inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 Ab response and may further reduce the prevalence and/or severity of COVID-19.
