tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Med (N Y)
. 2021 Feb 10.
doi: 10.1016/j.medj.2021.02.001. Online ahead of print.
Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 specific B- and T-cell responses in convalescent COVID-19 patients 6-8 months after the infection
Natalia Sherina[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Antonio Piralla[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Likun Du[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hui Wan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Makiko Kumagai-Braesch[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Juni Andr?ll[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sten Braesch-Andersen[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Irene Cassaniti[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Elena Percivalle[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Antonella Sarasini[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Federica Bergami[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Raffaella Di Martino[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Marta Colaneri[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Marco Vecchia[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Margherita Sambo[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Valentina Zuccaro[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Raffaele Bruno[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Michele Sachs[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Tiberio Oggionni[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Federica Meloni[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Hassan Abolhassani[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Federico Bertoglio[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Maren Schubert[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Miranda Byrne-Steele[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Jian Han[SUP] 11 12 [/SUP], Michael Hust[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Yintong Xue[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Lennart Hammarstr?m[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Fausto Baldanti[SUP] 2 14 [/SUP], Harold Marcotte[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Qiang Pan-Hammarstr?m[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Monitoring the adaptive immune responses during the natural course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection provides useful information for the development of vaccination strategies against this virus and its emerging variants. We thus profiled the serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels and specific memory B- and T-cell responses in convalescent coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients.
Methods: Altogether 119 samples from 88 convalescent donors who experienced mild to critical disease were tested for the presence of elevated anti-spike and anti-receptor binding domain antibody levels over a period of eight months. In addition, level of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies, specific memory B- and T-cell responses were tested in a subset of samples.
Findings: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were present in 85% of the samples collected within 4 weeks after onset of symptoms in COVID-19 patients. Levels of specific IgM/IgA antibodies declined after 1 month while levels of specific IgG antibodies and plasma neutralizing activities remained relatively stable up to 6 months after diagnosis. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies were still present, though at a significantly lower level, in 80% of the samples collected at 6-8 months after symptom onset. SARS-CoV-2-specific memory B- and T-cell responses developed with time and were persistent in all patients followed up till 6-8 months.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that protective adaptive immunity following natural infection of SARS-CoV-2 might persist for at least 6-8 months, regardless of disease severity. Development of medium or long-term protective immunity through vaccination might thus be possible.
Funding: EU-ATAC consortium, the Italian Ministry of Health and SciLife/KAW.
Keywords: B cell; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; T cell; antibody; immunity; immunological memory; longevity of immune response.
. 2021 Feb 10.
doi: 10.1016/j.medj.2021.02.001. Online ahead of print.
Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 specific B- and T-cell responses in convalescent COVID-19 patients 6-8 months after the infection
Natalia Sherina[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Antonio Piralla[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Likun Du[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hui Wan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Makiko Kumagai-Braesch[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Juni Andr?ll[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sten Braesch-Andersen[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Irene Cassaniti[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Elena Percivalle[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Antonella Sarasini[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Federica Bergami[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Raffaella Di Martino[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Marta Colaneri[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Marco Vecchia[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Margherita Sambo[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Valentina Zuccaro[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Raffaele Bruno[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Michele Sachs[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Tiberio Oggionni[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Federica Meloni[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Hassan Abolhassani[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Federico Bertoglio[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Maren Schubert[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Miranda Byrne-Steele[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Jian Han[SUP] 11 12 [/SUP], Michael Hust[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Yintong Xue[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Lennart Hammarstr?m[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Fausto Baldanti[SUP] 2 14 [/SUP], Harold Marcotte[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Qiang Pan-Hammarstr?m[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33589885
- PMCID: PMC7874960
- DOI: 10.1016/j.medj.2021.02.001
Abstract
Background: Monitoring the adaptive immune responses during the natural course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection provides useful information for the development of vaccination strategies against this virus and its emerging variants. We thus profiled the serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels and specific memory B- and T-cell responses in convalescent coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients.
Methods: Altogether 119 samples from 88 convalescent donors who experienced mild to critical disease were tested for the presence of elevated anti-spike and anti-receptor binding domain antibody levels over a period of eight months. In addition, level of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies, specific memory B- and T-cell responses were tested in a subset of samples.
Findings: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were present in 85% of the samples collected within 4 weeks after onset of symptoms in COVID-19 patients. Levels of specific IgM/IgA antibodies declined after 1 month while levels of specific IgG antibodies and plasma neutralizing activities remained relatively stable up to 6 months after diagnosis. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies were still present, though at a significantly lower level, in 80% of the samples collected at 6-8 months after symptom onset. SARS-CoV-2-specific memory B- and T-cell responses developed with time and were persistent in all patients followed up till 6-8 months.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that protective adaptive immunity following natural infection of SARS-CoV-2 might persist for at least 6-8 months, regardless of disease severity. Development of medium or long-term protective immunity through vaccination might thus be possible.
Funding: EU-ATAC consortium, the Italian Ministry of Health and SciLife/KAW.
Keywords: B cell; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; T cell; antibody; immunity; immunological memory; longevity of immune response.