Frontiers in Immunology (Jul 2021)

Dynamic Characteristic Analysis of Antibodies in Patients With COVID-19: A 13-Month Study

  • Danrong Shi,
  • Tianhao Weng,
  • Jie Wu,
  • Chunyan Dai,
  • Rui Luo,
  • Keda Chen,
  • Miaojin Zhu,
  • Xiangyun Lu,
  • Linfang Cheng,
  • Qiuqiang Chen,
  • Fumin Liu,
  • Zhigang Wu,
  • Haibo Wu,
  • Changzhong Jin,
  • Miao Guo,
  • Zhe Chen,
  • Nanping Wu,
  • Hangping Yao,
  • Min Zheng

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.708184
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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There is a worldwide pandemic of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection; yet our understanding remains limited on the characteristic of antibodies, especially for dynamic long-term tracking. Sequential serum samples were collected up to 416 days post onset of symptoms (POS) from 102 patients who were hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgM, and IgA levels targeting SARS-CoV-2 spike 1 receptor-binding domain (S1-RBD), spike 2 extracellular domain (S2-ECD), and nucleocapsid protein (N) were quantified as well as neutralizing activity. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the antibody remained detective and effective for more than a year POS. We also found the varied reactions of different antibodies as time passed: N-IgA rose most rapidly in the early stage of infection, while S2-IgG was present at a high level in the long time of observation. This study described the long traceable antibody response of the COVID-19 and offered hints about targets to screen for postinfectious immunity and for vaccination development of SARS-CoV-2.

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