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  • SARS-CoV-2 infection induce...
    Turner, Jackson S; Kim, Wooseob; Kalaidina, Elizaveta; Goss, Charles W; Rauseo, Adriana M; Schmitz, Aaron J; Hansen, Lena; Haile, Alem; Klebert, Michael K; Pusic, Iskra; O'Halloran, Jane A; Presti, Rachel M; Ellebedy, Ali H

    Nature, 07/2021, Volume: 595, Issue: 7867
    Journal Article

    Long-lived bone marrow plasma cells (BMPCs) are a persistent and essential source of protective antibodies . Individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 have a substantially lower risk of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 . Nonetheless, it has been reported that levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 serum antibodies decrease rapidly in the first few months after infection, raising concerns that long-lived BMPCs may not be generated and humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 may be short-lived . Here we show that in convalescent individuals who had experienced mild SARS-CoV-2 infections (n = 77), levels of serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) antibodies declined rapidly in the first 4 months after infection and then more gradually over the following 7 months, remaining detectable at least 11 months after infection. Anti-S antibody titres correlated with the frequency of S-specific plasma cells in bone marrow aspirates from 18 individuals who had recovered from COVID-19 at 7 to 8 months after infection. S-specific BMPCs were not detected in aspirates from 11 healthy individuals with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We show that S-binding BMPCs are quiescent, which suggests that they are part of a stable compartment. Consistently, circulating resting memory B cells directed against SARS-CoV-2 S were detected in the convalescent individuals. Overall, our results indicate that mild infection with SARS-CoV-2 induces robust antigen-specific, long-lived humoral immune memory in humans.