Immune imprinting and antibody profiles to SARS-CoV-2 in urban and rural Ghana
Martin Montiel-Ruiz,
Elvis S. Lomotey,
Elizabeth Obeng-Aboagye,
Isaac Quaye,
Daniel A. Odumang,
Florence B. Amakye,
Bernard A. Logonia,
Salomé Lochmann,
Joseph A. Hayford,
Dickson K. Osabutey,
Angelica Daakyire,
Christopher Dorcoo,
Edward Dumashie,
Joseph Quartey,
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu,
George B. Sigal,
Scott D. Boyd,
Irene Owusu Donkor,
Katharina Röltgen
Affiliations
Martin Montiel-Ruiz
Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Elvis S. Lomotey
Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana; West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Elizabeth Obeng-Aboagye
Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Isaac Quaye
Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Daniel A. Odumang
Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Florence B. Amakye
Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Bernard A. Logonia
Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Salomé Lochmann
Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Joseph A. Hayford
Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Dickson K. Osabutey
Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Angelica Daakyire
Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Christopher Dorcoo
Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Edward Dumashie
Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Joseph Quartey
Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
George B. Sigal
Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC., Rockville, MD, USA
Scott D. Boyd
Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
Irene Owusu Donkor
Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana; Corresponding author
Katharina Röltgen
Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Corresponding author
Summary: Infections with SARS-CoV-2 and the development of immunity to the virus and its antigenic variants have been unevenly documented globally, with African populations particularly understudied. As SARS-CoV-2 transitions toward being an endemic pathogen, a more nuanced understanding of immune protection in diverse populations is required. In 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 1,000 Ghanaian residents to assess SARS-CoV-2 prevalence and antibody correlates of immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants. We found an active SARS-CoV-2 infection rate of 1.3% and a 57% vaccination rate. We observed anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike plasma antibody sero-positivity of 98.7%, with urban compared to rural residents having higher anti-SARS-CoV-2 plasma and saliva antibody concentrations. Vaccinated and urban individuals exhibited significantly greater Spike-pseudotyped virus neutralization than nonvaccinated and rural individuals. Notably, plasma antibodies preferentially bound Wuhan-Hu-1 over Omicron Spike variants. Our findings indicate significant prior and ongoing SARS-CoV-2 transmission as well as immunological imprinting by Wuhan-Hu-1-like SARS-CoV-2 in Ghana.
