BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can be detected indirectly by measuring the host immune response. For some viruses, antibody concentrations correlate with host protection and viral neutralization, but in rare cases, antiviral antibodies can promote disease progression. Elucidation of the kinetics and magnitude of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody response is essential to understand the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and identify potential therapeutic targets. METHODS: Sera (n = 533) from patients with real-time polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 (n = 94 with acute infections and n = 59 convalescent patients) were tested using a high-throughput quantitative immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) assay that detects antibodies to the spike protein receptor binding domain and nucleocapsid protein. Individual and serial samples covered the time of initial diagnosis, during the disease course, and following recovery. We evaluated antibody kinetics and correlation between magnitude of the response and disease severity. RESULTS: Patterns of SARS-CoV-2 antibody production varied considerably. Among 52 patients with 3 or more serial specimens, 44 (84.6%) and 42 (80.8%) had observed IgM and IgG seroconversion at a median of 8 and 10 days, respectively. Compared to those with milder disease, peak measurements were significantly higher for patients admitted to the intensive care unit for all time intervals between 6 and 20 days for IgM, and all intervals after 5 days for IgG. CONCLUSIONS: High-sensitivity assays with a robust dynamic range provide a comprehensive picture of host antibody response to SARS-CoV-2. IgM and IgG responses were significantly higher in patients with severe than mild disease. These differences may affect strategies for seroprevalence studies, therapeutics, and vaccine development.
BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can be detected indirectly by measuring the host immune response. For some viruses, antibody concentrations correlate with host protection and viral neutralization, but in rare cases, antiviral antibodies can promote disease progression. Elucidation of the kinetics and magnitude of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody response is essential to understand the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and identify potential therapeutic targets. METHODS: Sera (n = 533) from patients with real-time polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 (n = 94 with acute infections and n = 59 convalescent patients) were tested using a high-throughput quantitative immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) assay that detects antibodies to the spike protein receptor binding domain and nucleocapsid protein. Individual and serial samples covered the time of initial diagnosis, during the disease course, and following recovery. We evaluated antibody kinetics and correlation between magnitude of the response and disease severity. RESULTS: Patterns of SARS-CoV-2 antibody production varied considerably. Among 52 patients with 3 or more serial specimens, 44 (84.6%) and 42 (80.8%) had observed IgM and IgG seroconversion at a median of 8 and 10 days, respectively. Compared to those with milder disease, peak measurements were significantly higher for patients admitted to the intensive care unit for all time intervals between 6 and 20 days for IgM, and all intervals after 5 days for IgG. CONCLUSIONS: High-sensitivity assays with a robust dynamic range provide a comprehensive picture of host antibody response to SARS-CoV-2. IgM and IgG responses were significantly higher in patients with severe than mild disease. These differences may affect strategies for seroprevalence studies, therapeutics, and vaccine development.
Authors: Kirsten E Wiens; Pinyi Nyimol Mawien; John Rumunu; Damien Slater; Forrest K Jones; Serina Moheed; Andrea Caflisch; Bior K Bior; Iboyi Amanya Jacob; Richard Lino Lako; Argata Guracha Guyo; Olushayo Oluseun Olu; Sylvester Maleghemi; Andrew Baguma; Juma John Hassen; Sheila K Baya; Lul Deng; Justin Lessler; Maya N Demby; Vanessa Sanchez; Rachel Mills; Clare Fraser; Richelle C Charles; Jason B Harris; Andrew S Azman; Joseph F Wamala Journal: Emerg Infect Dis Date: 2021-06 Impact factor: 6.883
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Authors: Dongli Song; Mary Prahl; Stephanie L Gaw; Sudha Rani Narasimhan; Daljeet S Rai; Angela Huang; Claudia V Flores; Christine Y Lin; Unurzul Jigmeddagva; Alan Wu; Lakshmi Warrier; Justine Levan; Catherine B T Nguyen; Perri Callaway; Lila Farrington; Gonzalo R Acevedo; Veronica J Gonzalez; Anna Vaaben; Phuong Nguyen; Elda Atmosfera; Constance Marleau; Christina Anderson; Sonya Misra; Monica Stemmle; Maria Cortes; Jennifer McAuley; Nicole Metz; Rupalee Patel; Matthew Nudelman; Susan Abraham; James Byrne; Priya Jegatheesan Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2021-07-07 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Jennifer M Sasson; Joseph J Campo; Rebecca M Carpenter; Mary K Young; Arlo Z Randall; Krista Trappl-Kimmons; Amit Oberai; Christopher Hung; Joshua Edgar; Andy A Teng; Jozelyn V Pablo; Xiaowu Liang; Angela Yee; William A Petri; David Camerini Journal: mBio Date: 2021-06-29 Impact factor: 7.867
Authors: Pinja Jalkanen; Pekka Kolehmainen; Hanni K Häkkinen; Moona Huttunen; Paula A Tähtinen; Rickard Lundberg; Sari Maljanen; Arttu Reinholm; Sisko Tauriainen; Sari H Pakkanen; Iris Levonen; Arttu Nousiainen; Taru Miller; Hanna Välimaa; Lauri Ivaska; Arja Pasternack; Rauno Naves; Olli Ritvos; Pamela Österlund; Suvi Kuivanen; Teemu Smura; Jussi Hepojoki; Olli Vapalahti; Johanna Lempainen; Laura Kakkola; Anu Kantele; Ilkka Julkunen Journal: Nat Commun Date: 2021-06-28 Impact factor: 14.919