Reuters) – People infected with COVID-19 develop antibodies targeting the new coronavirus that last for at least three months, according to two reports in Science Immunology.
The two studies, together involving nearly 750 patients, both point to immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies as the longest-lasting.
Researchers found IgG antibodies with two targets – the spike protein on the virus that helps it infect cells, and a part of the spike called the receptor binding domain (RBD) – lasted more than 100 days.
While the protective effect of COVID-19 antibodies is not completely clear, Jen Gommerman of the University of Toronto, coauthor of the study, said her team also found levels of so-called neutralizing antibodies, which inactivate the virus, “appeared to be very stable.”
