Cortés-Sarabia K, Palomares-Monterrubio KH, Velázquez-Moreno JO, Luna-Pineda VM, Leyva-Vázquez MA, Vences-Velázquez A, Dircio-Maldonado R, Del Moral-Hernández O, Illades-Aguiar B. Seroprevalence of IgG and Subclasses against the Nucleocapsid of SARS-CoV-2 in Health Workers.
Viruses 2023;
15:v15040955. [PMID:
37112935 PMCID:
PMC10141201 DOI:
10.3390/v15040955]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2 participates in viral replication, transcription, and assembly. Antibodies against this protein have been proposed for the epidemiological analysis of the seroprevalence of COVID-19 associated with natural infection by SARS-CoV-2. Health workers were one of the most exposed populations, and some had an asymptomatic form of the disease, so detecting IgG antibodies and subclasses against the N protein can help to reclassify their epidemiological status and obtain information about the effector mechanisms associated with viral elimination.
METHODS
In this study, we analyzed 253 serum samples collected in 2021 and derived from health workers, and evaluated the presence of total IgG and subclasses against the N protein of SARS-CoV-2 by indirect ELISA.
RESULTS
From the analyzed samples, 42.69% were positive to anti-N IgG antibodies. A correlation between COVID-19 asymptomatic infection and IgG antibodies was observed (p = 0.006). The detected subclasses were: IgG1 (82.4%), IgG2 (75.9%), IgG3 (42.6%), and IgG4 (72.6%).
CONCLUSIONS
This work provides evidence about the high seroprevalence of total IgG and subclasses of anti-N and their relations with the asymptomatic infection of SARS-CoV-2 and related symptoms.
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