Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies over 18 months following infection: UK Biobank COVID-19 Serology Study
Jelena Bešević, Ben Lacey, Howard Callen, Wemimo Omiyale, Megan Conroy, Qi Feng, Derrick W. Crook, Nicola Doherty, Daniel Ebner, David W. Eyre, D. Fry, Edward Horn, E. Yvonne Jones, Brian D. Marsden, Tim E A Peto, Fenella Starkey, David I. Stuart, Samantha Welsh, N.C. Wood, A. P. Young, Allen Young, Mark Effingham, Rory Collins, Jo Holliday, Naomi E. Allen
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Little is known about the persistence of antibodies after the first year following SARS-CoV-2 infection. We aimed to determine the proportion of individuals that maintain detectable levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies over an 18-month period following infection. METHODS: Population-based prospective study of 20 000 UK Biobank participants and their adult relatives recruited in May 2020. The proportion of SARS-CoV-2 cases testing positive for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against the spike protein (IgG-S), and the nucleocapsid protein (IgG-N), was calculated at varying intervals following infection. RESULTS: Overall, 20 195 participants were recruited. Their median age was 56 years (IQR 39-68), 56% were female and 88% were of white ethnicity. The proportion of SARS-CoV-2 cases with IgG-S antibodies following infection remained high (92%, 95% CI 90%-93%) at 6 months after infection. Levels of IgG-N antibodies following infection gradually decreased from 92% (95% CI 88%-95%) at 3 months to 72% (95% CI 70%-75%) at 18 months. There was no strong evidence of heterogeneity in antibody persistence by age, sex, ethnicity or socioeconomic deprivation. CONCLUSION: This study adds to the limited evidence on the long-term persistence of antibodies following SARS-CoV-2 infection, with likely implications for waning immunity following infection and the use of IgG-N in population surveys.