Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Wiley - PMC COVID-19 Collection logoLink to Wiley - PMC COVID-19 Collection
. 2005 Nov 18;78(1):1–8. doi: 10.1002/jmv.20499

Antibody responses against SARS coronavirus are correlated with disease outcome of infected individuals

Linqi Zhang 1,2,✉, Fengwen Zhang 1, Wenjie Yu 1, Tian He 1, Jian Yu 1, Christopher E Yi 1, Lei Ba 1, Wenhui Li 3, Michael Farzan 3, Zhiwei Chen 1, Kwok‐Yung Yuen 4, David Ho 1
PMCID: PMC7166884  PMID: 16299724

Abstract

Most of the SARS‐CoV‐infected patients spontaneously recovered without clinical intervention while a small percentage succumbed to the disease. Here, we characterized temporal changes in N protein‐specific and S glycoprotein‐specific neutralizing antibody (Nab) responses in infected patients who have either recovered from or succumbed to SARS‐CoV infection. Recovered patients were found to have higher and sustainable levels of both N protein‐specific and S glycoprotein‐specific Nab responses, suggesting that antibody responses likely play an important role in determining the ultimate disease outcome of SARS‐CoV‐infected patients. J. Med. Virol. 78:1–8, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, inc.

Keywords: SARS, neutralizing antibody, disease progression, vaccine

REFERENCES

  1. Booth CM, Matukas LM, Tomlinson GA, Rachlis AR, Rose DB, Dwosh HA, Walmsley SL, Mazzulli T, Avendano M, Derkach P, Ephtimios IE, Kitai I, Mederski BD, Shadowitz SB, Gold WL, Hawryluck LA, Rea E, Chenkin JS, Cescon DW, Poutanen SM, Detsky AS. 2003. Clinical Features and Short‐term Outcomes of 144 Patients With SARS in the Greater Toronto Area. Jama 289: 2801–2809. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chu CM, Cheng VC, Hung IF, Wong MM, Chan KH, Chan KS, Kao RY, Poon LL, Wong CL, Guan Y, Peiris JS, Yuen KY. 2004. Role of lopinavir/ritonavir in the treatment of SARS: Initial virological and clinical findings. Thorax 59: 252–256. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Donnelly CA, Ghani AC, Leung GM, Hedley AJ, Fraser C, Riley S, Abu‐Raddad LJ, Ho LM, Thach TQ, Chau P, Chan KP, Lam TH, Tse LY, Tsang T, Liu SH, Kong JH, Lau EM, Ferguson NM, Anderson RM. 2003. Epidemiological determinants of spread of causal agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. Lancet 361: 1761–1766. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Drosten C, Gunther S, Preiser W, van der Werf S, Brodt HR, Becker S, Rabenau H, Panning M, Kolesnikova L, Fouchier RA, Berger A, Burguiere AM, Cinatl J, Eickmann M, Escriou N, Grywna K, Kramme S, Manuguerra JC, Muller S, Rickerts V, Sturmer M, Vieth S, Klenk HD, Osterhaus AD, Schmitz H, Doerr HW. 2003. Identification of a novel coronavirus in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome. N Engl J Med 348: 1967–1976. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Giroglou T, Cinatl J, Jr. , Rabenau H, Drosten C, Schwalbe H, Doerr HW, von Laer D. 2004. Retroviral vectors pseudotyped with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus S protein. J Virol 78: 9007–9015. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Han DP, Kim HG, Kim YB, Poon LL, Cho MW. 2004. Development of a safe neutralization assay for SARS‐CoV and characterization of S‐glycoprotein. Virology 326: 140–149. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Holmes KV. 2003a. SARS coronavirus: A new challenge for prevention and therapy. J Clin Invest 111: 1605–1609. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Holmes KV. 2003b. SARS‐associated coronavirus. N Engl J Med 348: 1948–1951. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Holmes KV, Enjuanes L. 2003. Virology. The SARS coronavirus: A postgenomic era. Science 300: 1377–1378. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Huang LR, Chiu CM, Yeh SH, Huang WH, Hsueh PR, Yang WZ, Yang JY, Su IJ, Chang SC, Chen PJ. 2004. Evaluation of antibody responses against SARS coronaviral nucleocapsid or spike proteins by immunoblotting or ELISA. J Med Virol 73: 338–346. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ksiazek TG, Erdman D, Goldsmith CS, Zaki SR, Peret T, Emery S, Tong S, Urbani C, Comer JA, Lim W, Rollin PE, Dowell SF, Ling AE, Humphrey CD, Shieh WJ, Guarner J, Paddock CD, Rota P, Fields B, DeRisi J, Yang JY, Cox N, Hughes JM, LeDuc JW, Bellini WJ, Anderson LJ. 2003. A novel coronavirus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome. N Engl J Med 348: 1953–1966. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kuiken T, Fouchier RA, Schutten M, Rimmelzwaan GF, van Amerongen G, van Riel D, Laman JD, de Jong T, van Doornum G, Lim W, Ling AE, Chan PK, Tam JS, Zambon MC, Gopal R, Drosten C, van der Werf S, Escriou N, Manuguerra JC, Stohr K, Peiris JS, Osterhaus AD. 2003. Newly discovered coronavirus as the primary cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Lancet 362: 263–270. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lee N, Hui D, Wu A, Chan P, Cameron P, Joynt GM, Ahuja A, Yung MY, Leung CB, To KF, Lui SF, Szeto CC, Chung S, Sung JJ. 2003. A major outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. N Engl J Med 348: 1986–1994. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Leung DT, Tam FC, Ma CH, Chan PK, Cheung JL, Niu H, Tam JS, Lim PL. 2004. Antibody response of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) targets the viral nucleocapsid. J Infect Dis 190: 379–386. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Li G, Chen X, Xu A. 2003. Profile of specific antibodies to the SARS‐associated coronavirus. N Engl J Med 349: 508–509. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Li T, Qiu Z, Zhang L, Han Y, He W, Liu Z, Ma X, Fan H, Lu W, Xie J, Wang H, Deng G, Wang A. 2004. Significant changes of peripheral T lymphocyte subsets in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome. J Infect Dis 189: 648–651. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Liu X, Shi Y, Li P, Li L, Yi Y, Ma Q, Cao C. 2004. Profile of antibodies to the nucleocapsid protein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)‐associated coronavirus in probable SARS patients. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 11: 227–228. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Marra MA, Jones SJ, Astell CR, Holt RA, Brooks‐Wilson A, Butterfield YS, Khattra J, Asano JK, Barber SA, Chan SY, Cloutier A, Coughlin SM, Freeman D, Girn N, Griffith OL, Leach SR, Mayo M, McDonald H, Montgomery SB, Pandoh PK, Petrescu AS, Robertson AG, Schein JE, Siddiqui A, Smailus DE, Stott JM, Yang GS, Plummer F, Andonov A, Artsob H, Bastien N, Bernard K, Booth TF, Bowness D, Czub M, Drebot M, Fernando L, Flick R, Garbutt M, Gray M, Grolla A, Jones S, Feldmann H, Meyers A, Kabani A, Li Y, Normand S, Stroher U, Tipples GA, Tyler S, Vogrig R, Ward D, Watson B, Brunham RC, Krajden M, Petric M, Skowronski DM, Upton C, Roper RL. 2003. The Genome sequence of the SARS‐associated coronavirus. Science 300: 1399–1404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Moore MJ, Dorfman T, Li W, Wong SK, Li Y, Kuhn JH, Coderre J, Vasilieva N, Han Z, Greenough TC, Farzan M, Choe H. 2004. Retroviruses pseudotyped with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein efficiently infect cells expressing angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2. J Virol 78: 10628–10635. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Nicholls JM, Poon LL, Lee KC, Ng WF, Lai ST, Leung CY, Chu CM, Hui PK, Mak KL, Lim W, Yan KW, Chan KH, Tsang NC, Guan Y, Yuen KY, Peiris JS. 2003. Lung pathology of fatal severe acute respiratory syndrome. Lancet 361: 1773–1778. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Nie Y, Wang G, Shi X, Zhang H, Qiu Y, He Z, Wang W, Lian G, Yin X, Du L, Ren L, Wang J, He X, Li T, Deng H, Ding M. 2004a. Neutralizing antibodies in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome‐associated coronavirus infection. J Infect Dis 190: 1119–1126. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Nie Y, Wang P, Shi X, Wang G, Chen J, Zheng A, Wang W, Wang Z, Qu X, Luo M, Tan L, Song X, Yin X, Ding M, Deng H. 2004b. Highly infectious SARS‐CoV pseudotyped virus reveals the cell tropism and its correlation with receptor expression. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 321: 994–1000. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Peiris J, Chu CM, Cheng V, Chan KS, Hung I, Poon L, Law KI, Tang B, Hon T, Chan CS. 2003a. Clinical progression and viral load in a community outbreak of coronavirus‐associated SARS pneumonia: A prospective study. Lancet 361: 1767–1772. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Peiris JS, Lai ST, Poon LL, Guan Y, Yam LY, Lim W, Nicholls J, Yee WK, Yan WW, Cheung MT, Cheng VC, Chan KH, Tsang DN, Yung RW, Ng TK, Yuen KY. 2003b. Coronavirus as a possible cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Lancet 361: 1319–1325. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Poutanen SM, Low DE, Henry B, Finkelstein S, Rose D, Green K, Tellier R, Draker R, Adachi D, Ayers M, Chan AK, Skowronski DM, Salit I, Simor AE, Slutsky AS, Doyle PW, Krajden M, Petric M, Brunham RC, McGeer AJ. 2003. Identification of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Canada. N Engl J Med 348: 1995–2005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Rota PA, Oberste MS, Monroe SS, Nix WA, Campagnoli R, Icenogle JP, Penaranda S, Bankamp B, Maher K, Chen MH, Tong S, Tamin A, Lowe L, Frace M, DeRisi JL, Chen Q, Wang D, Erdman DD, Peret TC, Burns C, Ksiazek TG, Rollin PE, Sanchez A, Liffick S, Holloway B, Limor J, McCaustland K, Olsen‐Rasmussen M, Fouchier R, Gunther S, Osterhaus AD, Drosten C, Pallansch MA, Anderson LJ, Bellini WJ. 2003. Characterization of a novel coronavirus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome. Science 300: 1394–1399. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Shi Y, Yi Y, Li P, Kuang T, Li L, Dong M, Ma Q, Cao C. 2003. Diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) by detection of SARS coronavirus nucleocapsid antibodies in an antigen‐capturing enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. J Clin Microbiol 41: 5781–5782. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Shi Y, Wan Z, Li L, Li P, Li C, Ma Q, Cao C. 2004. Antibody responses against SARS‐coronavirus and its nucleocaspid in SARS patients. J Clin Virol 31: 66–68. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Temperton NJ, Chan PK, Simmons G, Zambon MC, Tedder RS, Takeuchi Y, Weiss RA. 2005. Longitudinally profiling neutralizing antibody response to SARS coronavirus with pseudotypes. Emerg Infect Dis 11: 411–416. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Tsang KW, Ho PL, Ooi GC, Yee WK, Wang T, Chan‐Yeung M, Lam WK, Seto WH, Yam LY, Cheung TM, Wong PC, Lam B, Ip MS, Chan J, Yuen KY, Lai KN. 2003. A cluster of cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. N Engl J Med 348: 1977–1985. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Wong KT, Antonio GE, Hui DS, Lee N, Yuen EH, Wu A, Leung CB, Rainer TH, Cameron P, Chung SS, Sung JJ, Ahuja AT. 2003. Severe acute respiratory syndrome: Radiographic appearances and pattern of progression in 138 patients. Radiology 228: 401–406. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Woo PC, Lau SK, Tsoi HW, Chan KH, Wong BH, Che XY, Tam VK, Tam SC, Cheng VC, Hung IF, Wong SS, Zheng BJ, Guan Y, Yuen KY. 2004a. Relative rates of non‐pneumonic SARS coronavirus infection and SARS coronavirus pneumonia. Lancet 363: 841–845. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Woo PC, Lau SK, Wong BH, Chan KH, Chu CM, Tsoi HW, Huang Y, Peiris JS, Yuen KY. 2004b. Longitudinal profile of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, and IgA antibodies against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus nucleocapsid protein in patients with pneumonia due to the SARS coronavirus. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 11: 665–668. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Woo PC, Lau SK, Wong BH, Tsoi HW, Fung AM, Chan KH, Tam VK, Peiris JS, Yuen KY. 2004c. Detection of specific antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus nucleocapsid protein for serodiagnosis of SARS coronavirus pneumonia. J Clin Microbiol 42: 2306–2309. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Zeng FY, Chan CW, Chan MN, Chen JD, Chow KY, Hon CC, Hui KH, Li J, Li VY, Wang CY, Wang PY, Guan Y, Zheng B, Poon LL, Chan KH, Yuen KY, Peiris JS, Leung FC. 2003. The complete genome sequence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus strain HKU‐39849 (HK‐39). Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 228: 866–873. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Medical Virology are provided here courtesy of Wiley

RESOURCES