Human Milk from Previously COVID-19-Infected Mothers: The Effect of Pasteurization on Specific Antibodies and Neutralization Capacity
van Keulen, Britt J; Romijn, Michelle; Bondt, Albert; Dingess, Kelly A; Kontopodi, Eva; van der Straten, Karlijn; den Boer, Maurits A; Burger, Judith A; Poniman, Meliawati; Bosch, Berend J; Brouwer, Philip J M; de Groot, Christianne J M; Hoek, Max; Li, Wentao; Pajkrt, Dasja; Sanders, Rogier W; Schoonderwoerd, Anne; Tamara, Sem; Timmermans, Rian A H; Vidarsson, Gestur; Stittelaar, Koert J; Rispens, Theo T; Hettinga, Kasper A; van Gils, Marit J; Heck, Albert J R; van Goudoever, Johannes B
(2021) Nutrients, volume 13, issue 5, pp. 1 - 14
(Article)
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many put their hopes in the rapid availability of effective immunizations. Human milk, containing antibodies against syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), may serve as means of protection through passive immunization. We aimed to determine the presence and pseudovirus neutralization capacity of SARS-CoV-2
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specific IgA in human milk of mothers who recovered from COVID-19, and the effect of pasteurization on these antibodies. METHODS: This prospective case control study included lactating mothers, recovered from (suspected) COVID-19 and healthy controls. Human milk and serum samples were collected. To assess the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies we used multiple complementary assays, namely ELISA with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (specific for IgA and IgG), receptor binding domain (RBD) and nucleocapsid (N) protein for IgG in serum, and bridging ELISA with the SARS-CoV-2 RBD and N protein for specific Ig (IgG, IgM and IgA in human milk and serum). To assess the effect of pasteurization, human milk was exposed to Holder (HoP) and High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP). RESULTS: Human milk contained abundant SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in 83% of the proven cases and in 67% of the suspected cases. Unpasteurized milk with and without these antibodies was found to be capable of neutralizing a pseudovirus of SARS-CoV-2 in (97% and 85% of the samples respectively). After pasteurization, total IgA antibody levels were affected by HoP, while SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody levels were affected by HPP. Pseudovirus neutralizing capacity of the human milk samples was only retained with the HPP approach. No correlation was observed between milk antibody levels and neutralization capacity. CONCLUSIONS: Human milk from recovered COVID-19-infected mothers contains SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies which maintained neutralization capacity after HPP. All together this may represent a safe and effective immunization strategy after HPP.
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Keywords: Breastfeeding, COVID-19, Immunoglobulins, Pasteurization, Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics
ISSN: 2072-6643
Publisher: MDPI AG
Note: Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by Stichting Steun Emma Kinderziekenhuis. No payment by a pharmaceutical company or other agency was made. Funding Information: Acknowledgments: Mirjam Damen and Arjan Barendregt (UU) are acknowledged for their assistance in the mass spectrometric analysis of the IgA clones. The Viroclinics Xplore analytical team is acknowledged for organizing and performing the virus neutralization assay. AJRH acknowledges the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) for funding the Netherlands Proteomics Center, through the X-omics Road Map program (project 184.034.019), and the EU Horizon 2020 program INFRAIA project Epic-XS (Project 823839). MJvG acknowledges the Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute for funding this work through the COVID-19 grant (24175). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
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