AUTHOR=Agurto-Arteaga Andres , Poma-Acevedo Astrid , Rios-Matos Dora , Choque-Guevara Ricardo , Montesinos-Millán Ricardo , Montalván Ángela , Isasi-Rivas Gisela , Cauna-Orocollo Yudith , Cauti-Mendoza María de Grecia , Pérez-Martínez Norma , Gutierrez-Manchay Kristel , Ramirez-Ortiz Ingrid , Núñez-Fernández Dennis , Salguedo-Bohorquez Mario I. , Quiñones-Garcia Stefany , Fernández Díaz Manolo , Guevara Sarmiento Luis A. , Zimic Mirko , COVID-19 Working Group in Perú , Agurto-Arteaga Andres , Antiparra Ricardo , Ardiles-Reyes Manuel , Calderón Katherine , Cauna-Orocollo Yudith , Cauti-Mendoza Maria de Grecia , Chipana-Flores Naer , Chunga-Girón Xiomara , Criollo-Orozco Manuel , De La Cruz Lewis , Delgado-Pease Nicolás E. , Delgado-Ccancce Elmer , Elugo-Guevara Christian , Fernández-Díaz Manolo , Fernández-Sánchez Manolo , Guevara-Sarmiento Luis , Gutiérrez Kristel , Heredia-Almeyda Oscar , Huaccachi-Gonzalez Edison , Huerta-Roque Pedro , Icochea Eliana , Isasi-Rivas Gisela , Jiménez-Avalos Gabriel , Juscamaita-Bartra Romina A. , Licla-Inca Abraham , Montalván Angela , Núñez-Fernández Dennis , Ochoa-Ortiz Adiana , Olivos-Ramirez Gustavo E. , Páucar-Montoro Erika , Pauyac Kathy , Perez-Martinez Jose L. , Pérez-M Norma , Poma-Acevedo Astrid , Quiñones-Garcia Stefany , Ramirez-Ortiz Ingrid , Ramos-Sono Daniel , Rios-Angulo Angela A. , Rios-Matos Dora , Rojas-Neyra Aldo , Romero Yomara K. , Salguedo-Bohorquez Mario I. , Sernaque-Aguilar Yacory , Sheen-Cortavarrı́a Patricia , Soto Luis F. , Tataje-Lavanda Luis , Ticona Julio , Vallejos-Sánchez Katherine , Vargas-Ruiz A. Paula , Villanueva-Pérez Doris , Ygnacio-Aguirre Freddy , Zimic-Peralta Mirko TITLE=Preclinical Assessment of IgY Antibodies Against Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 RBD Protein for Prophylaxis and Post-Infection Treatment of COVID-19 JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.881604 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2022.881604 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

Within the framework of the current COVID-19 pandemic, there is a race against time to find therapies for the outbreak to be controlled. Since vaccines are still tedious to develop and partially available for low-income countries, passive immunity based on egg-yolk antibodies (IgY) is presented as a suitable approach to preclude potential death of infected patients, based on its high specificity/avidity/production yield, cost-effective manufacture, and ease of administration. In the present study, IgY antibodies against a recombinant RBD protein of SARS-CoV-2 were produced in specific-pathogen-free chickens and purified from eggs using a biocompatible method. In vitro immunoreactivity was tested, finding high recognition and neutralization values. Safety was also demonstrated prior to efficacy evaluation, in which body weight, kinematics, and histopathological assessments of hamsters challenged with SARS-CoV-2 were performed, showing a protective effect administering IgY intranasally both as a prophylactic treatment or a post-infection treatment. The results of this study showed that intranasally delivered IgY has the potential to both aid in prevention and in overcoming COVID-19 infection, which should be very useful to control the advance of the current pandemic and the associated mortality.