SARS-CoV-2 antibody persistence after five and twelve months: A cohort study from South-Eastern Norway

• Published in: PloS one 2022-08, Vol.17 (8), p.e0264667
• Main Authors: Sarjomaa, Marjut, Diep, Lien My, Zhang, Chi, Tveten, Yngvar, Reiso, Harald, Thilesen, Carina, Nordbø, Svein Arne, Berg, Kristine Karlsrud, Aaberge, Ingeborg, Pearce, Neil, Kersten, Hege, Vandenbroucke, Jan Paul, Eikeland, Randi, Fell, Anne Kristin Møller
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Allergies; Antibodies; Antibodies, Viral; Antigens; Biology and Life Sciences; Body mass; Body mass index; Body size; Chills; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Comorbidity; Consent; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; Epidemics; Female; Fever; Health aspects; Humans; Infections; Laboratories; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Multivariate analysis; Norway; Pandemics; Polymerase chain reaction; Prospective Studies; Proteins; Questionnaires; Research and Analysis Methods; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Signs and symptoms; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus; Spike protein; Sweating; Viral antibodies; Viral diseases; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264667

To assess total antibody levels against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) spike protein up to 12 months after Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) infection in non-vaccinated individuals and the possible predictors of antibody persistence. This is the first part of a prospective multi-centre cohort study. The study included SARS-CoV-2 real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive and negative participants in South-Eastern Norway from February to December 2020. Possible predictors of SARS-CoV-2 total antibody persistence was assessed. The SARS-CoV-2 total antibody levels against spike protein were measured three to five months after PCR in 391 PCR-positive and 703 PCR-negative participants; 212 PCR-positive participants were included in follow-up measurements at 10 to 12 months. The participants completed a questionnaire including information about symptoms, comorbidities, allergies, body mass index (BMI), and hospitalisation. The SARS-CoV-2 total antibody levels against spike protein three to five and 10 to 12 months after PCR positive tests. SARS-CoV-2 total antibodies against spike protein were present in 366 (94%) non-vaccinated PCR-positive participants after three to five months, compared with nine (1%) PCR-negative participants. After 10 to 12 months, antibodies were present in 204 (96%) non-vaccinated PCR-positive participants. Of the PCR-positive participants, 369 (94%) were not hospitalised. The mean age of the PCR-positive participants was 48 years (SD 15, range 20-85) and 50% of them were male. BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 was positively associated with decreased antibody levels (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.06 to 5.42). Participants with higher age and self-reported initial fever with chills or sweating were less likely to have decreased antibody levels (age: OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.94 to 0.99; fever: OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.75). Our results indicate that the level of SARS-CoV-2 total antibodies against spike protein persists for the vast majority of non-vaccinated PCR-positive persons at least 10 to 12 months after mild COVID-19.