Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences ( IF 4.4 ) Pub Date : 2021-02-16 , DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.02.011 Waleed Mahallawi 1 , Mohammad Alzahrani 2 , Ziab Alahmadey 3
Background
The immunological factors involved in protection against the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 are insufficiently defined and understood. However, previous knowledge pertaining to the related SARS virus and other human coronaviruses may prove useful. Population-based serosurveys measuring anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies may provide a pattern for estimating infection degrees and observing the development of the epidemic. In this study, we aimed to investigate the persistence of antibody against the SARS-CoV-2 in recovered patients in Al Madinah region of Saudi Arabia.
Materials and methods
A total of 150 recovered COVID-19 patients participated in this study. All the patients tested positive for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, using qualitative RT-PCR. An ELISA was used to measure anti-Spike (S) IgG antibodies in serum samples and screen for their persistence at various time points post-infection.
Results
The patients were categorized as asymptomatic (27.3%), mild (28%) and moderate (44.7%) according to the disease severity. Amongst them, 35.3% were females (n = 53) and 64.7% were males (n = 97). Significant anti-S IgG antibody levels were observed among the different groups, with the patients in moderate group exhibiting the highest levels followed by the mild group; while the lowest levels were detected among the asymptomatic. There was a significant positive correlation between the patients’ age and anti-S IgG antibody concentrations (Pearson r = 0.45; p < 0.001).
Conclusion
Our findings provide a solid evidence to support the use of an anti-S IgG ELISA as a diagnostic tool to indicate SARS-CoV-2 infection. IgG seropositivity was sustained in recovered patients up to a hundred days' post-infection, the latest time point for antibody measurement in our study. Ours is the first report in Saudi Arabia to investigate the durability of humoral immune response in recovered COVID-19 patients.
中文翻译:
康复的 COVID-19 患者体液免疫反应的持久性
背景
与预防由 SARS-CoV-2 引起的疾病有关的免疫因素尚未得到充分定义和理解。然而,关于相关 SARS 病毒和其他人类冠状病毒的先前知识可能证明是有用的。测量抗 SARS-CoV-2 抗体的基于人群的血清调查可能为估计感染程度和观察流行病的发展提供模式。在这项研究中,我们旨在调查沙特阿拉伯麦地那地区康复患者中抗 SARS-CoV-2 抗体的持久性。
材料和方法
共有 150 名康复的 COVID-19 患者参与了这项研究。使用定性 RT-PCR,所有患者的 SARS-CoV-2 RNA 检测呈阳性。ELISA 用于测量血清样品中的抗尖峰 (S) IgG 抗体,并筛选它们在感染后不同时间点的持久性。
结果
根据疾病严重程度将患者分为无症状(27.3%)、轻度(28%)和中度(44.7%)。其中,35.3% 为女性(n = 53),64.7% 为男性(n = 97)。各组抗S IgG抗体水平显着升高,中度组最高,轻度组次之;而在无症状者中检测到的水平最低。患者年龄与抗 S IgG 抗体浓度呈显着正相关(Pearson r = 0.45;p < 0.001)。
结论
我们的研究结果提供了确凿的证据来支持使用抗 S IgG ELISA 作为诊断工具来指示 SARS-CoV-2 感染。康复患者感染后 100 天仍保持 IgG 血清阳性,这是我们研究中抗体测量的最新时间点。我们的报告是沙特阿拉伯第一份调查 COVID-19 康复患者体液免疫反应持久性的报告。