B and T Cell Memory Generated Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection Provides Variant-Independent Immunity

SARS-CoV-2 has caused significant morbidity and mortality across the globe. As the virus spreads, new variants are arising that show enhanced capacity to bypass pre-existing immunity. To understand the memory response to SARS-CoV-2, here we monitored SARS-CoV-2-specific T and B cells in a longitudinal study of infected and recovered golden hamsters. We demonstrate that engagement of the innate immune system following SARS-CoV-2 infection was delayed but was followed by a pronounced adaptive response. Moreover, T cell adoptive transfer conferred a reduction in virus levels and rapid induction of SARS-CoV-2-specific B cells demonstrating both lymphocyte populations contributed to the overall response. Reinfection of recovered animals with the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant showed SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T and B cells could effectively control the infection through neutralizing antibodies. These data suggest that the adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is sufficient to provide protection to the host, independent of the emergence of novel variants.