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SARS coronavirus 2-reactive antibodies in bovine colostrum
John Ellis1, Michelle Sniatynski1, Noreen Rapin1
1Departments of Veterinary Microbiology (Ellis, Sniatynski, Rapin, Lacoste, Haines) and Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Erickson), Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4.
Objective:
To determine if bovine colostrum and sera have antibodies that react with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Animals:
Dairy and beef cattle from North America and Europe, sampled before and after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Procedures:
Indirect ELISAs using whole bovine coronavirus (BCoV) and SARS-CoV-2; whole SARS-CoV-2 Spike 1, Spike 2, and nucleocapsid proteins; and SARS-CoV-2-specific nucleocapsid peptide as antigens. Virus neutralization assay for BCoV. Surrogate virus neutralization assay for SARS-CoV-2.
Results:
Antibodies reactive to BCoV were highly prevalent in samples collected from cattle before and after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Antibodies reactive with SARS-CoV-2 were present in the same samples, and apparently increased in prevalence after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. These antibodies had variable reactivity with the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of SARS-CoV-2 but were apparently not specific for SARS-CoV-2.
Conclusions:
Bovine coronavirus continues to be endemic in cattle populations, as indicated by the high prevalence of antibodies to the virus in colostrum and serum samples. Also, the prevalent antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in bovine samples, before and after the pandemic, are likely the result of responses to epitopes on the spike and nucleocapsid proteins that are shared between the 2 betacoronaviruses. Cross-reactive antibodies in bovine colostrum could be examined for prophylactic or therapeutic effects on SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans.
