Infection induced SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and heterogeneity of antibody responses in a general population cohort study in Catalonia Spain

Karachaliou, Marianna; Moncunill, Gemma; Espinosa, Ana; Castaño Vinyals, Gemma; Jiménez, Alfons; Vidal, Marta; Santano, Rebeca; Barrios, Diana; Puyol, Laura; Mayer, Leonie; Rubio, Rocío; O'Callaghan-Gordo, Cristina; Fossati, Serena; Rivas, Ioar; Vrijheid, Martine; Izquierdo, Luis; Aguilar, Ruth; Basagaña Flores, Xavier; García Aymerich, Judith; Dobaño, Carlota; Kogevinas, Manolis

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00807-4

Infection induced SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and heterogeneity of antibody responses in a general population cohort study in Catalonia Spain

Citation

Karachaliou M, Moncunill G, Espinosa A, Castaño-Vinyals G, Jiménez A, Vidal M, et al. Infection induced SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and heterogeneity of antibody responses in a general population cohort study in Catalonia Spain. Sci Rep. 2021 Nov 3;11(1):21571. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00807-4

Abstract

Sparse data exist on the complex natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2 at the population level. We applied a well-validated multiplex serology test in 5000 participants of a general population study in Catalonia in blood samples collected from end June to mid November 2020. Based on responses to fifteen isotype-antigen combinations, we detected a seroprevalence of 18.1% in adults (n = 4740), and modeled extrapolation to the general population of Catalonia indicated a 15.3% seroprevalence. Antibodies persisted up to 9 months after infection. Immune profiling of infected individuals revealed that with increasing severity of infection (asymptomatic, 1-3 symptoms, ≥ 4 symptoms, admitted to hospital/ICU), seroresponses were more robust and rich with a shift towards IgG over IgA and anti-spike over anti-nucleocapsid responses. Among seropositive participants, lower antibody levels were observed for those ≥ 60 years vs < 60 years old and smokers vs non-smokers. Overweight/obese participants vs normal weight had higher antibody levels. Adolescents (13-15 years old) (n = 260) showed a seroprevalence of 11.5%, were less likely to be tested seropositive compared to their parents and had dominant anti-spike rather than anti-nucleocapsid IgG responses. Our study provides an unbiased estimate of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Catalonia and new evidence on the durability and heterogeneity of post-infection immunity.