scholarly journals Development and Optimization of a Novel Assay To Measure Neutralizing Antibodies against Clostridium difficile Toxins

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinfu Xie ◽  
Julie Zorman ◽  
Lani Indrawati ◽  
Melanie Horton ◽  
Keri Soring ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clostridium Difficile ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Vero Cells ◽  
Seeding Density ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Sera ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Microscopic Inspection ◽  
Antibody Levels

ABSTRACTClostridium difficileproduces two major virulence toxins, toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB). Antitoxin antibodies, especially neutralizing antibodies, have been shown to be associated with a lower incidence ofC. difficileinfection (CDI) recurrence, and antibody levels are predictive of asymptomatic colonization. The development of an assay to detect the presence of neutralizing antibodies in animal and human sera for the evaluation of vaccine efficacy is highly desired. We have developed such an assay, which allows for the quantification of the effect of toxins on eukaryotic cells in an automated manner. We describe here the optimization of this assay to measure toxin potency as well as neutralizing antibody (NAb) activity againstC. difficiletoxins using a design-of-experiment (DOE) methodology. Toxin concentration and source, cell seeding density, and serum-toxin preincubation time were optimized in the assay using Vero cells. The assay was shown to be robust and to produce linear results across a range of antibody concentrations. It can be used to quantify neutralizing antibodies in sera of monkeys and hamsters immunized withC. difficiletoxoid vaccines. This assay was shown to correlate strongly with traditional assays which rely on labor-intensive methods of determining neutralizing antibody titers by visual microscopic inspection of intoxicated-cell monolayers. This assay has utility for the selection and optimization ofC. difficilevaccine candidates.

scholarly journals Neutralizing Antibody Responses in COVID-19 Convalescent Sera

2020 ◽  
Vol 223 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
William T Lee ◽  
Roxanne C Girardin ◽  
Alan P Dupuis ◽  
Karen E Kulas ◽  
Anne F Payne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
High Titer ◽  
Experimental Treatment ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Maximal Activity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
United States Food ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Antibody Levels

Abstract Passive transfer of antibodies from COVID-19 convalescent patients is being used as an experimental treatment for eligible patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections. The United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) guidelines for convalescent plasma initially recommended target antibody titers of 160. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in sera from recovered COVID-19 patients using plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT) at moderate (PRNT50) and high (PRNT90) stringency thresholds. We found that neutralizing activity significantly increased with time post symptom onset (PSO), reaching a peak at 31–35 days PSO. At this point, the number of sera having neutralizing titers of at least 160 was approximately 93% (PRNT50) and approximately 54% (PRNT90). Sera with high SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels (>960 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay titers) showed maximal activity, but not all high-titer sera contained neutralizing antibody at FDA recommended levels, particularly at high stringency. These results underscore the value of serum characterization for neutralization activity.

scholarly journals Functional antibody and T-cell immunity following SARS-CoV-2 infection, including by variants of concern, in patients with cancer: the CAPTURE study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika Fendler ◽  
Lewis Au ◽  
Scott Shepherd ◽  
Fiona Byrne ◽  
Maddalena Cerrone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Cellular Responses ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Cell Immunity ◽  
Clinical Annotation ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Antibody Levels ◽  
Immune Profiling ◽  
Reactive Antibody

Abstract Patients with cancer have higher COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Here we present the prospective CAPTURE study (NCT03226886) integrating longitudinal immune profiling with clinical annotation. Of 357 patients with cancer, 118 were SARS-CoV-2-positive, 94 were symptomatic and 2 patients died of COVID-19. In this cohort, 83% patients had S1-reactive antibodies, 82% had neutralizing antibodies against WT, whereas neutralizing antibody titers (NAbT) against the Alpha, Beta, and Delta variants were substantially reduced. Whereas S1-reactive antibody levels decreased in 13% of patients, NAbT remained stable up to 329 days. Patients also had detectable SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells and CD4+ responses correlating with S1-reactive antibody levels, although patients with hematological malignancies had impaired immune responses that were disease and treatment-specific, but presented compensatory cellular responses, further supported by clinical. Overall, these findings advance the understanding of the nature and duration of immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with cancer.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 binding and neutralizing antibody levels after vaccination with Ad26.COV2.S predict durable protection in rhesus macaques

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramon Roozendaal ◽  
Laura Solforosi ◽  
Daniel Stieh ◽  
Jan Serroyen ◽  
Roel Straetemans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Protective Efficacy ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Natural Infection ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Correlates Of Protection ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Antibody Levels ◽  
The Relationship

The first COVID-19 vaccines have recently gained authorization for emergency use.1,2 At this moment, limited knowledge on duration of immunity and efficacy of these vaccines is available. Data on other coronaviruses after natural infection suggest that immunity to SARS-CoV-2 might be short lived,3,4 and preliminary evidence indicates waning antibody titers following SARS-CoV-2 infection.5 Here we model the relationship between immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a series of Ad26 vectors encoding stabilized variants of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein in rhesus macaques6,7,8 and validate the analyses by challenging macaques 6 months after immunization with the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine candidate that has been selected for clinical development. We find that Ad26.COV2.S confers durable protection against replication of SARS-CoV-2 in the lungs that is predicted by the levels of S-binding and neutralizing antibodies. These results suggest that Ad26.COV2.S could confer durable protection in humans and that immunological correlates of protection may enable the prediction of durability of protection.

scholarly journals Sex disparities and neutralizing antibody durability to SARS-CoV-2 infection in convalescent individuals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alena J. Markmann ◽  
Natasa Giallourou ◽  
D. Ryan Bhowmik ◽  
Yixuan J. Hou ◽  
Aaron Lerner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Antibody Responses ◽  
Human Antibody ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Sex Disparities ◽  
Binding Antibody ◽  
Male Sex ◽  
Antibody Levels ◽  
First Time

AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has now caused over 2 million deaths worldwide and continues to expand. Currently, much is unknown about functionally neutralizing human antibody responses and durability to SARS-CoV-2. Using convalescent sera collected from 101 COVID-19 recovered individuals 21-212 days after symptom onset with forty-eight additional longitudinal samples, we measured functionality and durability of serum antibodies. We also evaluated associations between individual demographic and clinical parameters with functional neutralizing antibody responses to COVID-19. We found robust antibody durability out to six months, as well as significant positive associations with the magnitude of the neutralizing antibody response and male sex. We also show that SARS-CoV-2 convalescent neutralizing antibodies are higher in individuals with cardio-metabolic comorbidities.SignificanceIn this study we found that neutralizing antibody responses in COVID-19 convalescent individuals vary in magnitude but are durable and correlate well with RBD Ig binding antibody levels compared to other SARS-CoV-2 antigen responses. In our cohort, higher neutralizing antibody titers are independently and significantly associated with male sex compared to female sex. We also show for the first time, that higher convalescent antibody titers in male donors are associated with increased age and symptom grade. Furthermore, cardio-metabolic co-morbidities are associated with higher antibody titers independently of sex. Here, we present an in-depth evaluation of serologic, demographic, and clinical correlates of functional antibody responses and durability to SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals Memory B Cells Encode Neutralizing Antibody Specific for Toxin B from the Clostridium difficile Strains VPI 10463 and NAP1/BI/027 but with Superior Neutralization of VPI 10463 Toxin B

2015 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 194-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Scott Devera ◽  
Gillian A. Lang ◽  
Jordi M. Lanis ◽  
Pragya Rampuria ◽  
Casey L. Gilmore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
B Cells ◽  
Clostridium Difficile ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Memory B Cells ◽  
Lethal Challenge ◽  
Toxin B ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Antibody Titers

Secreted toxin B (TcdB) substantially contributes to the pathology observed duringClostridium difficileinfection. To be successfully incorporated into a vaccine, TcdB-based immunogens must stimulate the production of neutralizing antibody (Ab)-encoding memory B cells (Bmem cells). Despite numerous investigations, a clear analysis of Bmem cellular responses following vaccination against TcdB is lacking. B6 mice were therefore used to test the ability of a nontoxigenic C-terminal domain (CTD) fragment of TcdB to induce Bmem cells that encode TcdB-neutralizing antibody. CTD was produced from the historical VPI 10463 strain (CTD1) and from the hypervirulent strain NAP1/BI/027 (CTD2). It was then demonstrated that CTD1 induced strong recall IgG antibody titers, and this led to the development of functional Bmem cells that could be adoptively transferred to naive recipients. Bmem cell-driven neutralizing Ab responses conferred protection against lethal challenge with TcdB1. Further experiments revealed that an experimental adjuvant (Imject) and a clinical adjuvant (Alhydrogel) were compatible with Bmem cell induction. Reactivity of human Bmem cells to CTD1 was also evident in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), suggesting that CTD1 could be a good vaccine immunogen. However, CTD2 induced strong Bmem cell-driven antibody titers, and the CTD2 antibody was neutralizingin vitro, but its protection against lethal challenge with TcdB2 was limited to delaying time to death. Therefore, CTD from differentC. difficilestrains may be a good immunogen for stimulating B cell memory that encodesin vitroneutralizing Ab but may be limited by variable protection against intoxicationin vivo.

scholarly journals Characterization of the Humoral Immune Response Induced after Infection with Atypical Porcine Pestivirus (APPV)

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gökce Nur Cagatay ◽  
Denise Meyer ◽  
Michael Wendt ◽  
Paul Becher ◽  
Alexander Postel
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Humoral Immune Response ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Humoral Immune ◽  
Neutralizing Capacity ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Antibody Levels ◽  
Congenital Tremor

Atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV) is a widely distributed pathogen causing congenital tremor (CT) in piglets. So far, no data are available regarding the humoral immune response against APPV. In this study, piglets and their sows from an affected herd were tested longitudinally for viral genome and antibodies. APPV genome was detected in the majority of the piglets (14/15) from CT affected litters. Transient infection of gilts was observed. Kinetics of Erns- and E2-specific antibodies and their neutralizing capacity were determined by recently (Erns) and newly (E2) developed antibody ELISAs and virus neutralization assays. Putative maternally derived antibodies (MDA) were detected in most piglets, but displayed only low to moderate neutralizing capacity (ND50 ≤ 112). Horizontal APPV transmission occurred when uninfected and infected piglets were mingled on the flat deck. Horizontally infected piglets were clinically inapparent and showed only transient viremia with subsequently consistently high E2 antibody levels. For piglets from CT affected litters, significantly lower neutralizing antibody titers were observed. Results indicate that E2 represents the main target of neutralizing antibodies. Characterization of the humoral immune response against APPV will help to provide valuable serological diagnosis, to understand the epidemiology of this novel pathogen, and to implement tailored prevention strategies.

scholarly journals Development and Optimization of a High-Throughput Assay To Measure Neutralizing Antibodies against Clostridium difficile Binary Toxin

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 689-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinfu Xie ◽  
Melanie Horton ◽  
Julie Zorman ◽  
Joseph M. Antonello ◽  
Yuhua Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clostridium Difficile ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Molar Ratio ◽  
Seeding Density ◽  
Binary Toxin ◽  
Hyperimmune Serum ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Throughput Assay

ABSTRACTClostridium difficilestrains producing binary toxin, in addition to toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB), have been associated with more severe disease and increased recurrence ofC. difficileinfection in recent outbreaks. Binary toxin comprises two subunits (CDTa and CDTb) and catalyzes the ADP-ribosylation of globular actin (G-actin), which leads to the depolymerization of filamentous actin (F-actin) filaments. A robust assay is highly desirable for detecting the cytotoxic effect of the toxin and the presence of neutralizing antibodies in animal and human sera to evaluate vaccine efficacy. We describe here the optimization, using design-of-experiment (DOE) methodology, of a high-throughput assay to measure the toxin potency and neutralizing antibodies (NAb) against binary toxin. Vero cells were chosen from a panel of cells screened for sensitivity and specificity. We have successfully optimized the CDTa-to-CDTb molar ratio, toxin concentration, cell-seeding density, and sera-toxin preincubation time in the NAb assay using DOE methodology. This assay is robust, produces linear results across serial dilutions of hyperimmune serum, and can be used to quantify neutralizing antibodies in sera from hamsters and monkeys immunized withC. difficilebinary toxin-containing vaccines. The assay will be useful forC. difficilediagnosis, for epidemiology studies, and for selecting and optimizing vaccine candidates.

scholarly journals Dynamics of neutralizing antibody titers in the months after SARS-CoV-2 infection

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharine HD Crawford ◽  
Adam S Dingens ◽  
Rachel Eguia ◽  
Caitlin R Wolf ◽  
Naomi Wilcox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Symptom Onset ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Early Immune Response ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Antibody Levels ◽  
Time Frames ◽  
Initial Peak

Most individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop neutralizing antibodies that target the viral spike protein. Here we quantify how levels of these antibodies change in the months following SARS-CoV-2 infection by examining longitudinal samples collected between ≈30 and 152 days post-symptom onset from a prospective cohort of 34 recovered individuals with asymptomatic, mild, or moderate-severe disease. Neutralizing antibody titers declined an average of about four-fold from one to four months post-symptom onset. Importantly, our data are consistent with the expected early immune response to viral infection, where an initial peak in antibody levels is followed by a decline to a lower plateau. Additional studies of long-lived B-cells and antibody titers over longer time frames are necessary to determine the durability of immunity to SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 binding and neutralizing antibody levels after Ad26.COV2.S vaccination predict durable protection in rhesus macaques

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramon Roozendaal ◽  
Laura Solforosi ◽  
Daniel J. Stieh ◽  
Jan Serroyen ◽  
Roel Straetemans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Protective Efficacy ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Natural Infection ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Correlates Of Protection ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Antibody Levels ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractSeveral COVID-19 vaccines have recently gained authorization for emergency use. Limited knowledge on duration of immunity and efficacy of these vaccines is currently available. Data on other coronaviruses after natural infection suggest that immunity to SARS-CoV-2 might be short-lived, and preliminary evidence indicates waning antibody titers following SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this work, we model the relationship between immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a series of Ad26 vectors encoding stabilized variants of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein in rhesus macaques and validate the analyses by challenging macaques 6 months after immunization with the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine candidate that has been selected for clinical development. We show that Ad26.COV2.S confers durable protection against replication of SARS-CoV-2 in the lungs that is predicted by the levels of Spike-binding and neutralizing antibodies, indicating that Ad26.COV2.S could confer durable protection in humans and immunological correlates of protection may enable the prediction of durability of protection.

scholarly journals Neutralizing Antibody Responses in COVID-19 Convalescent Sera

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
William T Lee ◽  
Roxanne C Girardin ◽  
Alan P Dupuis ◽  
Karen E Kulas ◽  
Anne F Payne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
High Titer ◽  
Experimental Treatment ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Maximal Activity ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Food ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
States Food ◽  
Antibody Levels

Passive transfer of antibodies from COVID-19 convalescent patients is being used as an experimental treatment for eligible patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections. The United States Food and Drug Administration′s (FDA) guidelines for convalescent plasma recommends target antibody titers of 160. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in sera from recovered COVID-19 patients using plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT) at low (PRNT50) and high (PRNT90) stringency thresholds. We found that neutralizing activity increased with time post symptom onset (PSO), reaching a peak at 31-35 days PSO. At this point, the number of sera having neutralizing titers of at least 160 was ~93% (PRNT50) and ~54% (PRNT90). Sera with high SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels (≥960 ELISA titers) showed maximal activity, but not all high titer sera contained neutralizing antibody at FDA recommended levels, particularly at high stringency. These results underscore the value of serum characterization for neutralization activity.

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