Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has rapidly spread, resulting in considerable casualties and serious economic loss worldwide. Disease severity and related symptoms markedly vary among individuals. A large number of patients present atypical symptoms, which represent a big challenge for early diagnosis and prompt infection source isolation. Currently, COVID-19 diagnosis predominantly depends on nucleic acid tests (NAT) for SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory specimens, but this method presents a high rate of false negative results. Therefore, serum antibody measurement has been rapidly developed as a supplementary method with the aim of improving diagnostic accuracy. Further, serum antibody levels might help to identify the infection stage, asymptomatic carriers, and patients with diverging severities and to monitor convalescent plasma therapy. In the current review, we aim to present comprehensive evidence to clarify the utility of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in COVID-19 patients as a reference for use in the clinic.

导致 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 的严重急性呼吸系统综合症冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 迅速传播，在全球范围内造成大量人员伤亡和严重经济损失。疾病的严重程度和相关症状因人而异。大量患者出现不典型症状，对早期诊断和及时隔离感染源提出了巨大挑战。目前，COVID-19 的诊断主要依赖于呼吸道标本中 SARS-CoV-2 的核酸检测 (NAT)，但这种方法的假阴性结果率很高。因此，血清抗体检测作为一种辅助方法迅速发展起来，目的是提高诊断的准确性。此外，血清抗体水平可能有助于确定感染阶段、无症状携带者、和不同严重程度的患者，并监测恢复期血浆疗法。在当前的审查中，我们旨在提供全面的证据来阐明 SARS-CoV-2 抗体在 COVID-19 患者中的效用，作为临床使用的参考。