Distinct sensitivities to SARS-CoV-2 variants in vaccinated humans and mice
Alexandra C. Walls, Laura A. VanBlargan, Kaichun Wu, Angela Choi, Mary Jane Navarro, Diana Lee, Laura E. Avena, Daniela Montes Berrueta, Minh N. Pham, Sayda M. Elbashir, John C. Kraft, Marcos C. Miranda, Elizabeth Kepl, Max Johnson, Alyssa Blackstone, Kaitlin R. Sprouse, Brooke Fiala, Megan A. O’Connor, Natalie Brunette, Prabhu S. Arunachalam, Lisa Shirreff, Kenneth A. Rogers, Lauren Carter, Deborah H. Fuller, François Villinger, Bali Pulendran, Michael Diamond, Darin K. Edwards, Neil P. King, David Veesler
Abstract
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in 2019 has led to the development of a large number of vaccines, several of which are now approved for use in humans. Understanding vaccine-elicited antibody responses against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) in real time is key to inform public health policies. Serum neutralizing antibody titers are the current best correlate of protection from SARS-CoV-2 challenge in non-human primates and a key metric to understand immune evasion of VOCs. We report that vaccinated BALB/c mice do not recapitulate faithfully the breadth and potency of neutralizing antibody responses elicited by various vaccine platforms against VOCs, compared with non-human primates or humans, suggesting caution should be exercised when interpreting data obtained with this animal model.