SARS-CoV-2 strain-specific anti-spike IgG ELISA utilizing spike protein produced by silkworms

Background: A cost-effective and eco-friendly method is needed for the assessment of humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in large populations.

Objective: We investigated the performance of an ELISA that uses silkworm-produced proteins to quantify the strain-specific anti-Spike IgG (anti-S IgG) titer.

Methods: The OD values for the anti-His-tag antibody, a standard material of ELISA quantification, were measured. Correlations between the ELISA for each strain and the Abbott SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant assay for the wild type were evaluated with serum samples from nine participants with various infection and vaccination statuses.

Results: Linear dose-responses were confirmed by high coefficients of determination: 0.994, 0.994, and 0.996 for the wild-type, Delta, and Omicron (BA.1) strain assays, respectively. The coefficient of determination for the wild-type and Delta strain assays was high at 0.959 and 0.892, respectively, while the Omicron strain assay had a relatively low value of 0.563. Booster vaccinees showed similar or higher titers against all strains compared to infected persons without vaccination. The Omicron-infected persons without vaccination had lower antibody titers against wild type than did the vaccinated persons.

Conclusions: This study provides data indicating that the ELISA with silkworm-produced proteins makes it possible to discriminate and quantify the strain-specific anti-S IgG antibody induced by vaccination or infection.