Biology

Antigenic characterization of SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.3.2.1 and BA.3.2.2 in three animal models

⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed

Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.

BA.3.2 is a variant of SARS-CoV-2 containing ~40 mutations to its spike protein compared to its nearest ancestor, which has spread globally since its first detection in South Africa in November 2024. Here, we report antigenic characterization of BA.3.2 viruses in three naive animal models, and visualize its antigenic phenotype in the context of SARS-CoV-2 evolution using antigenic cartography. We find that: (1) BA.3.2 is substantially antigenically divergent from existing SARS-CoV-2 variants; (2) infection with BA.3.2 in hamster and mouse animal models produces sera with lower homologous titer than infection with other variants. Both of these results may have implications for the selection of vaccine antigens.

Source: Antigenic characterization of SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.3.2.1 and BA.3.2.2 in three animal models