New insights into SARS-CoV-2 immunity gained from natural infection

Antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) peaked at 3-4 weeks and were still being produced at 3-4 months in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Viral Immunology.

Diane Griffin, MD, PhD, from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and coauthors, analyzed the blood of 55 patients hospitalized up to four months after onset of COVID-19 symptoms. They reported spike (S)- and nucleocapsid (N)-specific IgM and IgG ASCs within two weeks.

The investigators found that: "Patients with more severe disease produced more S-specific IgM and IgG ASCs than those with mild disease and had higher levels of both N- and S-specific antibody in plasma." The findings predict a more durable immune response in patients recovering from more severe disease.

"This is a highly relevant and timely article because it provides scientific insights into the contribution of SARS-CoV-2 immunity gained from natural infection. The level of immunity potentially generated from actual infection with the virus has been a topic of intense debate since the beginning of the pandemic," says Rodney S. Russell, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Viral Immunology, from Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's.