Igg seroconversion and pathophysiology in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection

Staines, Henry M. and Kirwan, Daniela E. and Clark, David J. and Augustin, Yolanda and Byrne, Rachel L. and Cocozza, Michael and Cubas-Atienzar, Ana I. and Cuevas, Luis E. and Cusinato, Martina and Davies, Benedict M.O. and Davis, Mark and Davis, Paul and Duvoix, Annelyse and Eckersley, Nicholas M. and Forton, Daniel and Fraser, Alice J. and Garrod, Gala and Hadcocks, Linda and Hu, Qinxue and Kay, Grant A. and Klekotko, Kesja and Lewis, Zawditu and Macallan, Derek C. and Mensah-Kane, Josephine and Menzies, Stefanie and Monahan, Irene and Moore, Catherine M. and Nebe-Von-Caron, Gerhard and Owen, Sophie I. and Sainter, Chris and Sall, Amadou A. and Schouten, James and Williams, Christopher T. and Wilkins, John and Woolston, Kevin and Fitchett, Joseph R.A. and Krishna, Sanjeev and Planche, Tim (2021) Igg seroconversion and pathophysiology in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 27 (1). pp. 85-91. ISSN 1080-6040

Abstract

We investigated the dynamics of seroconversion in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. During March 29-May 22, 2020, we collected serum samples and associated clinical data from 177 persons in London, UK, who had SARS-CoV-2 infection. We measured IgG against SARS-CoV-2 and compared antibody levels with patient outcomes, demographic information, and laboratory characteristics. We found that 2.0%-8.5% of persons did not seroconvert 3-6 weeks after infection. Persons who seroconverted were older, were more likely to have concurrent conditions, and had higher levels of inflammatory markers. Non-White persons had higher antibody concentrations than those who identified as White; these concentrations did not decline during follow-up. Serologic assay results correlated with disease outcome, race, and other risk factors for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Serologic assays can be used in surveillance to clarify the duration and protective nature of humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection.