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  • Ng, Kevin W; Faulkner, Nikhil; Cornish, Georgina H; Rosa, Annachiara; Harvey, Ruth; Hussain, Saira; Ulferts, Rachel; Earl, Christopher; Wrobel, Antoni G; Benton, Donald J; Roustan, Chloe; Bolland, William; Thompson, Rachael; Agua-Doce, Ana; Hobson, Philip; Heaney, Judith; Rickman, Hannah; Paraskevopoulou, Stavroula; Houlihan, Catherine F; Thomson, Kirsty; Sanchez, Emilie; Shin, Gee Yen; Spyer, Moira J; Joshi, Dhira; O'Reilly, Nicola; Walker, Philip A; Kjaer, Svend; Riddell, Andrew; Moore, Catherine; Jebson, Bethany R; Wilkinson, Meredyth; Marshall, Lucy R; Rosser, Elizabeth C; Radziszewska, Anna; Peckham, Hannah; Ciurtin, Coziana; Wedderburn, Lucy R; Beale, Rupert; Swanton, Charles; Gandhi, Sonia; Stockinger, Brigitta; McCauley, John; Gamblin, Steve J; McCoy, Laura E; Cherepanov, Peter; Nastouli, Eleni; Kassiotis, George

    Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 12/2020, Volume: 370, Issue: 6522
    Journal Article

    Zoonotic introduction of novel coronaviruses may encounter preexisting immunity in humans. Using diverse assays for antibodies recognizing SARS-CoV-2 proteins, we detected preexisting humoral immunity. SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S)-reactive antibodies were detectable using a flow cytometry-based method in SARS-CoV-2-uninfected individuals and were particularly prevalent in children and adolescents. They were predominantly of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) class and targeted the S2 subunit. By contrast, SARS-CoV-2 infection induced higher titers of SARS-CoV-2 S-reactive IgG antibodies targeting both the S1 and S2 subunits, and concomitant IgM and IgA antibodies, lasting throughout the observation period. SARS-CoV-2-uninfected donor sera exhibited specific neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 S pseudotypes. Distinguishing preexisting and de novo immunity will be critical for our understanding of susceptibility to and the natural course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.