Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40374831›Full record

ArticleCommunications medicine2025

Serum anti-nucleocapsid antibody correlates of protection from SARS-CoV-2 re-infection regardless of symptoms or immune history.

Sho Miyamoto, Koki Numakura, Ryo Kinoshita, Takeshi Arashiro, Hiromizu Takahashi, Hiromi Hibino, Minako Hayakawa, Takayuki Kanno, Akiko Sataka, Rena Sakamoto and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Sho MiyamotoDepartment of Infectious Disease Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6541-1722
Koki NumakuraDepartment of Infectious Disease Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Ryo KinoshitaDepartment of Epidemiology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Takeshi ArashiroDepartment of Infectious Disease Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Hiromizu TakahashiDepartment of General Medicine, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Hiromi HibinoResearch and Development Coordination Office, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Minako HayakawaDepartment of Infectious Disease Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Takayuki KannoDepartment of Infectious Disease Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5151-3012
Akiko SatakaDepartment of Infectious Disease Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Rena SakamotoDepartment of Infectious Disease Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Akira AinaiDepartment of Infectious Disease Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Satoru AraiDepartment of Immunization Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Motoi SuzukiCenter for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Daisuke YoneokaDepartment of Epidemiology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Takaji WakitaJapan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Tadaki SuzukiDepartment of Infectious Disease Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan. tksuzuki@niid.go.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3820-9542

Funding

Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) JP22fk0108509Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) JP22fk0108568Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) JP23fk0108684MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) 21K17307MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) 21K20768MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) 23K14534MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) 23K27422MEXT | JST | Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO) JPMJPR21RCMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan) 20HA2001Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan) 21HA2005Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan) 22HA2006
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHigh spike-based vaccine coverage led to a high seroprevalence of anti-spike (S) antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in Japanese adults in 2024. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 epidemic continues, and individuals with hybrid immunity are becoming more common in these populations.

methodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study to measure serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels in 4496 Japanese adults as part of the national seroepidemiological survey. This study evaluated the correlation between first-visit anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels and their effectiveness in providing protection until the second visit during the Omicron BA.5 epidemic.

resultsReduced symptomatic infection risk was found to be associated with anti-S antibody, anti-nucleocapsid (N) antibody, and BA.5 neutralizing antibody levels. However, the reduced asymptomatic infection risk associated with anti-S antibody or BA.5 neutralizing antibody levels was limited. In contrast, higher anti-N antibody levels were strongly linked to a reduced asymptomatic infection risk. Furthermore, higher anti-N antibody levels were also associated with a reduced risk of re-infection in individuals with hybrid immunity.

conclusionThese observations highlight the potential of anti-N antibody level as a correlate of protection against SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic infection and re-infection. The findings indicate that individuals with hybrid immunity have a distinct protective immunity against both symptomatic and asymptomatic infection beyond serum anti-S and neutralizing antibodies against circulating viral strains, which correlate with serum anti-N antibodies.

Identifiers

PMID40374831
PMCPMC12081900

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.