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. Click here to read the article now.
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.
About the Journal
Viral Immunology is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published ten times a year in print and online. Topics cover both human and animal viral immunology, exploring viral-based immunological diseases, pathogenic mechanisms, and virus-associated tumor and cancer immunology. The Journal includes original research papers, review articles, and commentaries covering the spectrum of laboratory and clinical research and exploring developments in vaccines and diagnostics targeting viral infections. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Viral Immunology website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN ( Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News ), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s more than 100 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
Viral Immunology
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Continued virus-specific antibody-secreting cell production, avidity maturation and B cell evolution in patients hospitalized with COVID-19