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In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. In spring , at the beginning of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Europe, we set up an assay system for large-scale testing of virus-specific and neutralising antibodies including their longevity. Sera containing S1-reactive antibodies were further evaluated for receptor-binding domain RBD - and nucleocapsid protein NCP -specific antibodies in relation to the neutralisation test NT results at three time points over six months.
In total, 0. Of the S1-reactive sera, 8. They thus qualify best for large-scale seroepidemiological evaluation of both antibody reactivity and virus neutralisation. Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system in response to viruses. Here, we aimed to profile the levels of antibodies over 6 months in a group of Austrian adults working for the same company, with some working on-site and some working at home.
We observe that this specific subset of antibodies are most likely to persist up to 6 months, to be correlated with ability to neutralise the virus, and are associated with ongoing loss of taste and smell. These findings might have implications for monitoring of immunity, by helping us to understand which types of antibodies remain detectable and functional over time and how these relate to symptoms. The ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to dramatic restrictions in public life worldwide to mitigate the anticipated epidemic peak 1.
It was, therefore, difficult to assess the actual risk of infection for employers with respect to shared workspaces and staff in contact with customers. In order to estimate past infections irrespective of symptoms and a preceding PCR test, specific and sensitive serological antibody tests, including neutralising assays, are necessary tools 3. These antigens have been shown to induce robust antibody responses in infected individuals 5 , 6. Another important question has emerged as to whether the detected antibodies also indicate protection against reinfection.
