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Longitudinal evaluation and decline of antibody responses in SARS-CoV-2 infection

2020; Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1101/2020.07.09.20148429

Jeffrey Seow, Carl Graham, Blair Merrick, Sam Acors, Kathryn J. A. Steel, Oliver Hemmings, Aoife O’Bryne, Neophytos Kouphou, Suzanne Pickering, Rui Pedro Galão, Gilberto Betancor, Harry Wilson, Adrian W. Signell, Helena Winstone, Claire Kerridge, Nigel Temperton, Luke B. Snell, Karen Bisnauthsing, Amelia Moore, Adrian Green, Lauren Martinez, Brielle Stokes, Johanna Honey, Alba Izquierdo-Barras, Gill Arbane, Amita Patel, Lorcan O’Connell, Geraldine O’Hara, Eithne MacMahon, Sam Douthwaite, Gaia Nebbia, Rahul Batra, Rocío T. Martínez-Nuñez, Jonathan D. Edgeworth, Stuart J. D. Neil, Michael H. Malim, Katie J. Doores,

SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing

Abstract Antibody (Ab) responses to SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in most infected individuals 10-15 days following the onset of COVID-19 symptoms. However, due to the recent emergence of this virus in the human population it is not yet known how long these Ab responses will be maintained or whether they will provide protection from re-infection. Using sequential serum samples collected up to 94 days post onset of symptoms (POS) from 65 RT-qPCR confirmed SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals, we show seroconversion in >95% of cases and neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses when sampled beyond 8 days POS. We demonstrate that the magnitude of the nAb response is dependent upon the disease severity, but this does not affect the kinetics of the nAb response. Declining nAb titres were observed during the follow up period. Whilst some individuals with high peak ID 50 (>10,000) maintained titres >1,000 at >60 days POS, some with lower peak ID 50 had titres approaching baseline within the follow up period. A similar decline in nAb titres was also observed in a cohort of seropositive healthcare workers from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals. We suggest that this transient nAb response is a feature shared by both a SARS-CoV-2 infection that causes low disease severity and the circulating seasonal coronaviruses that are associated with common colds. This study has important implications when considering widespread serological testing, Ab protection against re-infection with SARS-CoV-2 and the durability of vaccine protection.