Antibody kinetics and clinical course of COVID-19 a prospective observational study

PLoS One. 2021 Mar 22;16(3):e0248918. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248918. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Background: Serological response and association to clinical manifestation is important for understanding the pathogenesis of COVID-19.

Materials and methods: A prospective observational study was conducted where antibody responses of IgG and IgA towards SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were studied over time in patients with COVID-19. Possible associations between antibody titers and outcome were analyzed.

Results: Forty patients with COVID-19, hospitalized at Skåne University hospital, Sweden, between April and June 2020 were included. IgG antibody responses were detected for all patients with the highest levels four weeks after COVID-19 diagnosis. Levels of IgA were generally higher at diagnosis and decreased towards baseline 4 weeks after confirmed COVID-19. Patients with severe COVID-19 had higher levels of antibodies directed against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein compared with patients with mild disease.

Conclusion: IgG and IgA antibodies towards the spike protein follow different kinetics during COVID-19 and patients with severe disease develop higher antibody levels.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood*
  • Antibody Formation
  • COVID-19 / pathology*
  • COVID-19 / virology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin A / blood
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Kinetics
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prospective Studies
  • SARS-CoV-2 / isolation & purification
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / immunology
  • Sweden

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin A
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
  • spike protein, SARS-CoV-2

Grants and funding

TS received grants from the Royal Physiographic Society of Lund (grant number: 41252) and from Sigurd and Elsa Golje Foundation (grant number: LA2020-0189). AB received grant from the Swedish Government Funds for Clinical Research (ALF). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.