ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Following infection, antibodies are formed against the spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins, which are the primary viral antigens of SARS-CoV-2. This study aims to determine the antibody response three weeks post-infection and its persistence. To study antibody responses in COVID-19-positive individuals and to compare the degree of antibody response in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. The persistence of the antibody response was also assessed. Adult patients (> 15 years of age) who were diagnosed as COVID-19-positive by RT-PCR, three weeks after swab positivity were tested for total antibody levels against COVID-19 antigens by electrochemiluminescence assay. Out of 226 individuals, 129 were symptomatic and 97 were asymptomatic. Among the 129 symptomatic individuals, 74 exhibited an antibody response, whereas in the asymptomatic individuals, only 10 exhibited an antibody response. The antibody response was found to be significant in symptomatic individuals compared to that in asymptomatic individuals (p < 0.05). All follow-up individuals were seropositive at the end of both 6 and 8 months. Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 persist for 8 months following infection. Despite the waning of antibodies against the nucleocapsid antigen, there was no complete disappearance of antibodies.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s).
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Investigating antibody titers in individuals who have been both naturally infected with SARS-CoV-2 and vaccinated can provide insight into antibody dynamics and correlates of protection over time. METHODS: Human coronavirus (HCoV) IgG antibodies were measured longitudinally in a prospective cohort of qPCR-confirmed, COVID-19 recovered individuals (k = 57) in British Columbia pre- and post-vaccination. SARS-CoV-2 and endemic HCoV antibodies were measured in serum collected between Nov. 2020 and Sept. 2021 (n = 341). Primary analysis used a linear mixed-effects model to understand the effect of single dose vaccination on antibody concentrations adjusting for biological sex, age, time from infection and vaccination. Secondary analysis investigated the cumulative incidence of high SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike IgG seroreactivity equal to or greater than 5.5 log10 AU/mL up to 105 days post-vaccination. No re-infections were detected in vaccinated participants, post-vaccination by qPCR performed on self-collected nasopharyngeal specimens. RESULTS: Bivariate analysis (complete data for 42 participants, 270 samples over 472 days) found SARS-CoV-2 spike and RBD antibodies increased 14-56 days post-vaccination (p < 0.001) and vaccination prevented waning (regression coefficient, B = 1.66 [95%CI: 1.45-3.46]); while decline of nucleocapsid antibodies over time was observed (regression coefficient, B = -0.24 [95%CI: -1.2-(-0.12)]). A positive association was found between COVID-19 vaccination and endemic human ß-coronavirus IgG titer 14-56 days post vaccination (OC43, p = 0.02 & HKU1, p = 0.02). On average, SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike IgG concentration increased in participants who received one vaccine dose by 2.06 log10 AU/mL (95%CI: 1.45-3.46) adjusting for age, biological sex, and time since infection. Cumulative incidence of high SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies (>5.5 log10 AU/mL) was 83% greater in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that vaccination post-SARS-CoV-2 infection provides multiple benefits, such as increasing anti-spike IgG titers and preventing decay up to 85 days post-vaccination.