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  • Durable antibody response o...
    Masiá, Mar; Fernández-González, Marta; Telenti, Guillermo; Agulló, Vanesa; García, José A.; Padilla, Sergio; García-Abellán, Javier; Galiana, Antonio; Gonzalo-Jiménez, Nieves; Gutiérrez, Félix

    Journal of autoimmunity, 09/2021, Volume: 123
    Journal Article

    Durability of the humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 has yet to be defined. We longitudinally evaluated during a 12-month period the antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2, and analysed predictors of antibody titres decline and seroreversion. Prospective study conducted in a cohort of patients hospitalized for microbiologically-confirmed COVID-19. Blood and nasopharyngeal samples were sequentially obtained during hospital stay and at 1, 2, 6 and 12 months after patients’ discharge for measuring anti-spike (S) and anti-nucleocapsid (N) IgG antibody levels and SARS-CoV-2 RNA, respectively. 80 non-vaccinated patients were analysed. At month 12 after discharge, 73 (91.2%) patients exhibited detectable S-IgG and 35 (43.8%) N-IgG antibody titres. A gradual wane was observed in S-IgG and N-IgG antibody titres. Linear regression showed that S-IgG decline was positively associated with peak antibody titres (coefficient 95% CI 0.059 0.05–0.067, p < 0.001), inversely with WHO severity score (coefficient 95% CI −0.042 -0.079/-0.004, p = 0.033), and there was a trivial positive association with age (coefficient 95% CI 0.002 0–0.005, p = 0.10); N-IgG decline was positively associated with peak antibody titres (coefficient 95% CI 0.091 0.078–0.105, p < 0.001). Logistic regression showed that seroreversion for S-IgG was inversely associated with peak S-IgG (OR 0.19; 95% CI, 0.04-0.45; p = 0.004); seroreversion for N-IgG was inversely associated with peak N-IgG (OR 0.71; 95% 0.53–0.90; p = 0.009) and positively with cycle threshold of RT-PCR (OR 1.14; 95% CI, 1.00–1.33; p = 0.062). Anti-spike IgG antibodies remain detectable one year after hospitalization for COVID-19. Higher peak antibody titres and disease severity were associated with increased durability of detectable antibodies. •Postinfection humoral immunity may protect against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection.•Durability of the humoral immune response remains unknown.•Most COVID-19 patients show persistent S-IgG antibodies one year after hospitalization.•Durability of antibody response associated with higher peak titres and disease severity.