High prevalence of pre-existing serological cross-reactivity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS- CoV-2) in sub-Saharan Africa

Authors

For Yue Tso, University of Nebraska-Lincoln & Nebraska Center for Virology
Salum Lidenge, University of Nebraska-Lincoln & Nebraska Center for Virology & Ocean Road Cancer Institute & Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
Phoebe B. Peña, University of Nebraska-Lincoln & Nebraska Center for Virology
Ashley A. Clegg, University of Nebraska-Lincoln & Nebraska Center for VirologyFollow
John R. Ngowi, Ocean Road Cancer InstituteFollow
Julius Mwaiselage, Ocean Road Cancer Institute & Muhimbili University of Health and Allied SciencesFollow
Owen Ngalamika, University of Zambia School of MedicineFollow
Peter Julius, University of Zambia School of Medicine
John T. West, Nebraska Center for Virology & University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Charles Wood, Nebraska Center for Virology & University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2021

Citation

International Journal of Infectious Diseases 102 (2021) 577–583

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.10.104

Comments

2020 The Authors.

Abstract

Objective: Significant morbidity and mortality have occurred in the USA, Europe, and Asia due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), whereas the numbers of infections and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have remained comparatively low. It has been hypothesized that exposure of the population in SSA to other coronaviruses prior to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in some degree of cross-protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis. We evaluated this hypothesis by comparing SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactive antibodies in pre-pandemic plasma samples collected from SSA and the USA.

Method: Pre-COVID-19 pandemic plasma samples from SSA and the USA were collected and tested by immunofluorescence assay against the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of all known human coronaviruses (HCoVs).

Results: The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 serological cross-reactivity was significantly higher in samples from SSA compared with the USA. Most of these cross-reactive samples cross-recognized the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein and the spike proteins of other HCoVs. Nucleocapsid proteins from HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-229E were detected in most samples, thereby implicating prior exposure to these two HCoVs as the likely source of cross-reactive antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

Conclusion: The low incidences of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease in SSA appear to be correlated with the pre-pandemic serological cross-recognition of HCoVs, which are substantially more prevalent in SSA than the USA.