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Updated: Oct 12, 2025
Author Spotlight: A Pseudotype Virus System for Assessing Omicron Subvariants and Neutralizing Antibodies in SARS-CoV-2 Research
Published on: September 8, 2023
SARS CoV-2 Delta variant exhibits enhanced infectivity and a minor decrease in neutralization sensitivity to
Alona Kuzmina1, Seraj Wattad1, Yara Khalaila2
1The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Abstract:
Since their identification, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Kappa and Delta have rapidly spread to become globally dominant. However, their infectivity and sensitivity to administered vaccines have not been documented. We monitored the neutralization potential of convalescent or BNT162b2 post-vaccination sera against Kappa and Delta SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses. We show that both variants were successfully neutralized by convalescent and post-vaccination sera, exhibiting a mild decrease in their neutralization sensitivity. Of the two variants, Delta presented enhanced infectivity levels compared with Kappa or wild-type SARS-CoV-2. Nevertheless, both variants were not as infectious or resistant to post-vaccination sera as the Beta variant of concern. Interestingly, the Delta plus variant (AY.1/B.1.617.2.1) exhibited high resistance to post-vaccination sera, similar to that of the Beta SARS-CoV-2. However, its infectivity levels were close to those of wild-type SARS-CoV-2. These results account for the worldwide prevalence of Delta variant of concern and confirm the efficacy of the BNT162b2 vaccine against circulating other Delta variants.
