Population-based study of the durability of humoral immunity after SARS-CoV-2 infection

Peterhoff D, Wiegrebe S, Einhauser S, Patt AJ, Beileke S, Günther F, Steininger P, Niller HH, Burkhardt R, Küchenhoff H, Gefeller O, Überla K, Heid IM, Wagner R (2023)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2023

Journal

Frontiers in Immunology Frontiers Research Foundation / Frontiers Media

Book Volume: 14

Article Number: 1242536

DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1242536

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 antibody quantity and quality are key markers of humoral immunity. However, there is substantial uncertainty about their durability. We investigated levels and temporal change of SARS-CoV-2 antibody quantity and quality. We analyzed sera (8 binding, 4 avidity assays for spike-(S-)protein and nucleocapsid-(N-)protein; neutralization) from 211 seropositive unvaccinated participants, from the population-based longitudinal TiKoCo study, at three time points within one year after infection with the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus. We found a significant decline of neutralization titers and binding antibody levels in most assays (linear mixed regression model, p<0.01). S-specific serum avidity increased markedly over time, in contrast to N-specific. Binding antibody levels were higher in older versus younger participants – a difference that disappeared for the asymptomatic-infected. We found stronger antibody decline in men versus women and lower binding and avidity levels in current versus never-smokers. Our comprehensive longitudinal analyses across 13 antibody assays suggest decreased neutralization-based protection and prolonged affinity maturation within one year after infection.

Authors with CRIS profile

Stephanie Beileke Professur für Oberflächenaktive Proteine Philipp Steininger Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology Olaf Gefeller Lehrstuhl für Biometrie und Epidemiologie Klaus Überla Lehrstuhl für Klinische und Molekulare Virologie

Involved external institutions

Universität Regensburg DE Germany (DE) Universitätsklinikum Regensburg DE Germany (DE) Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Peterhoff, D., Wiegrebe, S., Einhauser, S., Patt, A.J., Beileke, S., Günther, F.,... Wagner, R. (2023). Population-based study of the durability of humoral immunity after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Frontiers in Immunology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1242536

MLA:

Peterhoff, David, et al. "Population-based study of the durability of humoral immunity after SARS-CoV-2 infection." Frontiers in Immunology 14 (2023).

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