Prolonged viral shedding and antibody persistence in patients with COVID-19

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 as a new global threat has affected global population for one year. Despite the great effort to eradicate this infection, there are still some challenges including different viral presentation, temporal immunity in infected individuals and variable data of viral shedding. We studied 255 COVID-19 suspected individuals to assess the viral shedding duration and also the antibody development against SARS-CoV-2 among the cases. Real Time RT-PCR assay was applied to determine the virus presence and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were evaluated using SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG kits. 113 patients were confirmed for COVID-19 infection. The patients were followed until negative PCR achieved. The median viral shedding among studied population was obtained 34.16 (±17.65) days which was not significantly associated with age, sex and underlying diseases. Shiver and body pain were found in prolonged form of the infection and also patients who had gastrointestinal problems experienced longer viral shedding. Moreover, IgG was present in 84% of patients after 150 days. According to this data, the median viral shedding prolongation was 34.16 days which indicates that 14 days isolation might not be enough for population. In addition, IgG profiling indicated that it is persistent in a majority of patients for nearly 6 months which has brought some hopes in vaccine efficacy and application.

Kinetics of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody response in immunocompetent convalescent patients: nationwide multicenter 15-month follow-up cohort study

“…In contrast, our investigation showed the stability of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies against nucleocapsid protein up to 25-30 weeks. Data similar to our results showing the increase of antibody levels were in another study analyzing 5 month humoral response (2021) 25 . Summarizing our data, we con rm that the level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies takes bell-shaped character, continuously growing up to 5-6 months, remaining stable for a few months and slowly decreasing, but remaining to be detectable up to 60 weeks.…”

SARS-CoV-2 re-infection rate in Iranian COVID-19 cases within one-year follow-up

“…The studies which focus on characterizing COVID-19-related immunity have shown that binding and neutralizing antibodies developed in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and could provide protection up to six months after the onset of symptoms. Antibody titers establishment as a correlated factor with protection should be defined as a protective element which would be extremely critical for both patient management and public health considerations [ 7 , 8 ]. In fact, the importance of re-infection determination in a community can reflect the quarantine policy and vaccine development strategies.…”

Comparison of the Prevalence of Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in 9954 Recruits in the Korean Army Training Center with the General Korean Population of Equivalent Age Between September and November, 2020

“…A few studies have shown antibodies persisting for long periods. A study in Iran showed Ig G was still present after 150 days in 84% of the patients [ 18 ]. Another study, by Isho et al, showed Ig G lasting in serum for at least 90 days [ 19 ].…”