Longitudinal kinetics of RBD+ antibodies in COVID-19 recovered patients over 14 months

PLoS Pathog. 2022 Jun 3;18(6):e1010569. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010569. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Abstract

We describe the longitudinal kinetics of the serological response in COVID-19 recovered patients over a period of 14 months. The antibody kinetics in a cohort of 192 recovered patients, including 66 patients for whom follow-up serum samples were obtained at two to four clinic visits, revealed that RBD-specific antibodies decayed over the 14 months following the onset of symptoms. The decay rate was associated with the robustness of the response in that antibody levels that were initially highly elevated after the onset of symptoms subsequently decayed more rapidly. An exploration of the differences in the longitudinal kinetics between recovered patients and naïve vaccinees who had received two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine showed a significantly faster decay in the naïve vaccinees, indicating that serological memory following natural infection is more robust than that following to vaccination. Our data highlighting the differences between serological memory induced by natural infection vs. vaccination contributed to the decision-making process in Israel regarding the necessity for a third vaccination dose.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • BNT162 Vaccine
  • COVID-19*
  • Humans
  • Kinetics
  • Vaccination

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • BNT162 Vaccine

Grants and funding

The study was supported by the grant #3-17162 from the Israeli Ministry of Health (Y.W.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.