SARS-CoV-2-directed antibodies persist for more than six months in a cohort with mild to moderate COVID-19

• Published in: Infection 2021-08, Vol.49 (4), p.739-746
• Main Authors: Glück, Vivian, Grobecker, Sonja, Tydykov, Leonid, Salzberger, Bernd, Glück, Thomas, Weidlich, Tanja, Bertok, Manuela, Gottwald, Christine, Wenzel, Jürgen J., Gessner, André, Schmidt, Barbara, Peterhoff, David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Algorithms; Antibodies; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Cohort Studies; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - immunology; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Family Medicine; Female; General Practice; Humans; IgG antibody; Immune response; Immune system; Immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulin A - blood; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulin M; Immunoglobulin M - blood; Infectious Diseases; Internal Medicine; Male; Medical personnel; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Original Paper; Parameter identification; Proteins; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - immunology; Serology; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Severity of Illness Index; Signs and symptoms; Spike protein; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Viral diseases; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0300-8126; 1439-0973
• DOI: 10.1007/s15010-021-01598-6

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.