In the absence of confirmed cases of reinfection by SARS-CoV-2, the duration of immune protection elicited after initial infection is still unknown. This preprint describes a longitudinal analysis of antibody responses in 65 SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals. Although the magnitude of neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses correlated with disease severity, there was a rapid decline in nAb titres in most patients within 3 months after onset of symptoms. The authors argue that the transient nAb responses elicited by SARS-CoV-2 resemble those observed following seasonal coronavirus infections. However, the consequences on secondary immune responses and their ability to prevent reinfection remain to be determined.
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Seow, J. et al. Longitudinal evaluation and decline of antibody responses in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Preprint at medRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.09.20148429 (2020)
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Vabret, N. Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 short-lived. Nat Rev Immunol 20, 519 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-020-0405-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-020-0405-3
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