Autoantibodies directed against interferon alpha, nuclear antigens, cardiolipin, and beta 2 glycoprotein 1 are not induced by SARS-CoV-2 or associated with long COVID

Abstract

Introduction

Autoantibodies (AAbs) directed against interferon alpha (aIFNα), nuclear antigens (ANAs), anti-cardiolipin (aCL), and anti-beta 2 glycoprotein 1 (aβ2GP1), have been demonstrated to significantly correlate with the severity of acute Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection induces these AAbs and whether they are associated with long COVID remains unclear.

Methods

The potential induction of aIFNα, ANAs, aCL, and aβ2GP1 by SARS-CoV-2 was assessed by measuring these AAbs in 224 pre- and post-infection paired serum samples from the Johns Hopkins Hospital Emergency Department (JHHED). The relationship between these AAbs and long COVID was assessed using 60 serum samples from participants in the Outpatient SARS-CoV-2 Mild and Asymptomatic Infection Response and Transmission study.

Results

We found no evidence that these AAbs were induced in the JHHED cohort and no significant difference in their prevalence between patients with (n = 30) and without (n = 30) long COVID in the OutSMART cohort.

Conclusion

These findings do not support the hypotheses that SARS-CoV-2 induces these AAbs or that they are related to long COVID.