Viruses (Nov 2020)

Persisting Neutralizing Activity to SARS-CoV-2 over Months in Sera of COVID-19 Patients

  • Bertram Flehmig,
  • Michael Schindler,
  • Natalia Ruetalo,
  • Ramona Businger,
  • Manfred Bayer,
  • Angelika Haage,
  • Thomas Kirchner,
  • Karin Klingel,
  • Andrea Normann,
  • Lutz Pridzun,
  • Despina Tougianidou,
  • Michael B. Ranke

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/v12121357
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 12
p. 1357

Abstract

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The relationship between the nasopharyngeal virus load, IgA and IgG antibodies to both the S1-RBD-protein and the N-protein, as well as the neutralizing activity (NAbs) against SARS-CoV-2 in the blood of moderately afflicted COVID-19 patients, needs further longitudinal investigation. Several new serological methods to examine these parameters were developed, validated and applied in three patients of a family which underwent an ambulatory course of COVID-19 for six months. The virus load had almost completely disappeared after about four weeks. Serum IgA levels to the S1-RBD-protein and, to a lesser extent, to the N-protein, peaked about three weeks after clinical disease onset but declined soon thereafter. IgG levels rose continuously, reaching a plateau at approximately six weeks, and stayed elevated over the observation period. Virus-neutralizing activity reached a peak about 4 weeks after disease onset but dropped slowly. The longitudinal associations of virus neutralization and the serological immune response suggest immunity in patients even after a mild clinical course of COVID-19.

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