The research has shown that neutralizing antibodies decrease four times in 30 to 90 days from the onset of symptoms.
The novel coronavirus has made its way to almost every corner of the world and has infected millions of individuals across the world. While about a fifth of patients develops a serious illness, causing around 3% to 5% of overall deaths. As the disease is wreaking havoc across the world, a myriad of strategies is currently being tested to combat the virus. However, the efficacy of these treatments is lacking, as several drugs or treatments are given simultaneously. The virus affects different people in different ways. Most infected people develop mild to moderate illness and recover without hospitalization.
Whereas, most individuals develop binding antibodies against viral proteins within a few weeks. The serum dilution required to prevent viral infections by half is named NT50 and ranges from 100 to 200 within a month from the onset of symptoms. In some COVID-19 patients, the titers (a lab test that measures the presence and amount of antibodies in the blood) are undetectable, whereas, in others, they could be more than 10,000. The new research by the researchers from the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center deals with changes that neutralize antibodies in the following months.
The research was published in August 2020 in the medRxiv. Usually, viral infections are categorized by a small rapid increase in neutralizing antibody titer, followed by a steady decline for years, showing the tenacity of a specific memory and plasma cells. During this research, the team focused on the level of antibodies in people cured of COVID-19. The research involved around 34 people, of which seven were asymptomatic, five were symptomatic, and 22 had milder symptoms. The new research has shown that neutralizing antibodies decrease four times in 30 to 90 days from the onset of symptoms. However, the rate of antibody neutralization remained high for 3 to 4 months after infection.