The new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causes the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and is now raging around the world. In a new study, researchers from research institutions such as the University of Toronto in Canada and the Lonefeld-Talenbaum Institute used saliva and blood samples from COVID-19 patients to measure and compare symptoms more than three months later The level of antibodies. They found that after a person is infected with SARS-CoV-2, antibodies against the virus can last for at least three months.
These researchers found that IgG antibodies that bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S protein) can be detected in at least 115 days, which is the longest time interval ever measured. This study also showed for the first time that these antibodies can also be detected in saliva.
The co-corresponding author of the paper and Professor of Immunology at the University of Toronto, Jennifer Gommerman, said, “Our research shows that IgG antibodies against this viral spike protein are more durable in blood and saliva. Our research shows that saliva may be used as an antibody test. An alternative. Although saliva is not as sensitive as serum, it is easy to collect."
The saliva test was developed at the University of Toronto, and a research team led by Anne-Claude Gingras, the co-corresponding author of the paper and Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto, conducted the serum test.
Gingras said, “This method of detecting antibodies in serum or blood is very powerful and very suitable for assessing the prevalence of infection in the community. This is another tool that can help us better understand or even overcome this virus.”
Most people who have recovered from COVID-19 have this virus-specific antibody in their blood. These antibodies can be used to indicate who has been infected, whether they have symptoms or not.
In recent months, the persistence of the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 has been debated. A study published earlier in the journal Nature Medicine showed that for some people who were infected with the virus but did not show symptoms, the antibodies can disappear after two months.
Although these researchers admit that there are still many things they don’t know about the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, including how long the antibodies can last after this period, or how they protect against re-infection, but this This study may have broader implications for the development of effective vaccines.
Gommerman said, “This study shows that if the vaccine is designed properly, it may induce a long-lasting antibody response and help protect the vaccinated from SARS-CoV-2 infection.”