Abstract
Although in the early pandemic period, COVID-19 pathology among young children and infants was typically less severe compared to that observed among adults, this has not remained entirely consistent as SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged. There is an enormous body of evidence demonstrating the benefits of human milk antibodies (Abs) in protecting infants against a wide range of enteric and respiratory infections. It is highly plausible that the same holds true for protection against SARS-CoV-2, as this virus infects cells of the gastrointestinal and respiratory mucosae. Understanding the durability of a human milk Ab response over time after infection is critical. Previously, we examined the Abs present in milk of those recently infected with SARS-CoV-2, and concluded that the response was secretory IgA (sIgA)-dominant and that these titers were highly correlated with neutralization potency. The present study aimed to monitor the durability of the SARS-CoV-2 IgA and secretory Ab (sAb) response in milk from COVID-19-recovered lactating individuals over 12 months, in the absence of vaccination or re-infection. This analysis revealed a robust and durable Spike-specific milk sIgA response, that at 9-12 months after infection, 88% of the samples exhibited titers above the positive cutoff for IgA and 94% were above cutoff for sAb. Fifty percent of participants exhibited less than a 2-fold reduction of Spike-specific IgA through 12 months. A strong significant positive correlation between IgA and sAb against Spike persisted throughout the study period. Nucleocapsid-specific Abs were also assessed, which revealed significant background or cross reactivity of milk IgA against this immunogen, as well as limited/inconsistent durability compared to Spike titers. These data suggests that lactating individuals are likely to continue producing Spike-specific Abs in their milk for 1 year or more, which may provide critical passive immunity to infants against SARS-CoV-2 throughout the lactation period.