Insights into neutralizing antibody responses in individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in Chile
Carolina Beltrán-Pavez, Sebastián Riquelme-Barrios, Aarón Oyarzún-Arrau, Aracelly Gaete-Argel, Roxana González‐Stegmaier, Karina Cereceda-Solis, Adam Aguirre, Dante Travisany, Ricardo Palma-Véjares, Gonzalo P. Barriga, Aldo Gaggero, Constanza Martínez-Valdebenito, Nicole Le Corre, Marcela Ferrés, María Elvira Balcells, Jorge Onrubia Fernández, Eugenio Ramı́rez, Franz Villarroel‐Espíndola, Fernando Valiente‐Echeverría, Ricardo Soto‐Rifo
Abstract
Chile has one of the worst numbers worldwide in terms of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases and COVID-19-related deaths per million inhabitants; thus, characterization of neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses in the general population is critical to understanding of immunity at the local level. Given our inability to perform massive classical neutralization assays due to the scarce availability of BSL-3 facilities in the country, we developed and fully characterized an HIV-based SARS-CoV-2 pseudotype, which was used in a 96-well plate format to investigate NAb responses in samples from individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 or treated with convalescent plasma. We also identified samples with decreased or enhanced neutralization activity against the D614G spike variant compared with the wild type, indicating the relevance of this variant in host immunity. The data presented here represent the first insights into NAb responses in individuals from Chile, serving as a guide for future studies in the country.