Journal
INFECTION
Volume 49, Issue 4, Pages 739-746Publisher
SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
DOI: 10.1007/s15010-021-01598-6
Keywords
SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; Serological immune response; Antibody titer; ELISA; Severity of disease
Categories
Funding
- Projekt DEAL
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This study followed the serological immune responses of front-line healthcare workers after PCR-confirmed COVID-19 for 30 weeks, finding that the majority retained IgG antibodies after 12 weeks and 90% remained positive at 30 weeks, while IgA and IgM responses declined more rapidly, with a portion of participants no longer having detectable antibodies at 30 weeks.
Objective To follow serological immune responses of front-line healthcare workers after PCR-confirmed COVID-19 for a mean of 30 weeks, describe the time-course of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-specific IgG, IgA and IgM levels and to identify associations of the immune response with symptoms, demographic parameters and severity of disease. Methods Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S protein-specific IgG, IgA and IgM antibodies were measured at three time points during the 30-week follow-up. COVID-19-specific symptoms were assessed with standardized questionnaires. Results 95% of the participants mounted an IgG response with only modest decline after week 12. IgG-type antibodies were still detectable in almost 90% of the subjects at 30 weeks. IgA and IgM responses were less robust and antibody titers decreased more rapidly. At 30 weeks, only 25% still had detectable IgA-type and none had IgM-type antibodies. Higher age and higher disease severity were independently associated with higher IgG antibody levels, albeit with wide variations. Conclusion Serological immune responses after COVID-19 show considerable inter-individual variability, but show an association with increasing age and higher severity of disease. IgG-type anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies remain positive in 90% of the individuals 30 weeks after onset of symptoms.
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