Maintenance of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies over five months in
convalescent SARS-CoV-2 afflicted patients.
Abstract
Level and duration of protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 after
primary infection is of crucial importance for preventive approaches. In
order to provide evidence for the longevity of specific antibodies, we
investigated the generation and maintenance of neutralizing antibodies
of convalescent SARS-CoV-2-afflicted patients over a five month period
post primary infection using an immunofluorescence assay, a commercial
chemiluminescent immunoassay and an in-house enzyme-linked
plaque-reduction neutralization assay. We present the successful
application of an improved version of the plaque-reduction
neutralization assay, which can be analyzed optometrically,
significantly simplifying the interpretation of the results. Based on
the results of the plaque-reduction neutralization assay, neutralizing
antibodies were maintained in 85.3% of convalescent individuals without
significant decay over five months. Furthermore, a positive correlation
between severity of infection and neutralizing titer was shown. In
conclusion, SARS-CoV-2-afflicted individuals have been proven to be able
to establish and maintain neutralizing antibodies over a five months’
period after primary infection which allows to hope for long-lasting
presumably protective humoral immunity after wild-type infection or even
after vaccination.