A community study of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in China

Abstract

Background: The immune background of the overall population before and after the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in China remains unexplored. And the level of neutralizing antibodies is a reliable indicator of individual immunity.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the immune levels of different population groups during a viral outbreak and identify the factors influencing these levels.

Methods: We measured the levels of neutralizing antibodies in 12,137 participants using the COVID19 Neutralizing Antibody Detection kit. The dynamics of neutralizing antibodies were analyzed using a generalized additive model, while a generalized linear model and multi-factor analysis of variance were employed to investigate the influencing factors. Additionally, statistical methods were used to compare neutralizing antibody levels among subgroups of the real-world population.

Results: Participants who received booster doses exhibited significantly higher levels of neutralizing antibodies compared to those who received only one or two doses (p<0.001). Both elderly [22.55 (5.12, 62.03) IU/mL, 55%] and minors [21.41 (8.15, 45.06) IU/mL, 56%] showed lower positivity rates and neutralizing antibody levels compared to young adults [29.30 (9.82, 188.08) IU/mL, 62%] (p<0.001). Furthermore, the HIV-positive group demonstrated a slightly lower seropositivity rate compared to the healthy group across the three vaccination time points. Notably, three months after the large-scale infection, both the neutralizing antibody level and positivity rate in real-world populations were higher than the previous record [300 (300, 300) IU/mL, 89%; 27.10 (8.77, 139.28) IU/mL, 60%], and this difference was statistically significant.

Conclusions: Increasing vaccine dosage enhances neutralizing antibody levels, resulting in greater and longer-lasting immunity. Monitoring immune levels in older individuals and those with AIDS is crucial. Additionally, the neutralizing antibodies generated from vaccination have not yet reached the threshold for achieving herd immunity, while individuals exhibit higher immune levels following a large-scale infection. These findings provide valuable insights for guiding new strategies in vaccine administration.

Keywords: China; SARS-CoV-2; immune; large-scale survey; neutralizing antibodies.