What Antibody Response Level Protects Against COVID-19 Death?

By Wiley October 5, 2021

In a study of patients with COVID-19 treated in intensive care units, people who had only a low antibody response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus were at a higher risk of death.

The study, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, also found that patients with strong antibody responses to the virus had low levels of viral RNA in their blood. On the contrary, those with a poor antibody response had high viral RNA levels and were spreading viral proteins in the blood.

In a study of patients with COVID-19 treated in intensive care units, people who had only a low antibody response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus were at a higher risk of death. Credit: Journal of Internal Medicine

The results may help establish the optimal antibody levels needed for a person to overcome COVID-19 when critically ill. The study also provided evidence of the importance of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to block virus replication. These are the antibodies generated by vaccination.

“Our findings support that treatment with exogenous antibodies in COVID-19 should be personalized, and this therapy should be reserved for those patients with absent or low endogenous antibodies,” said co-senior author Jesús F. Bermejo-Martin, MD, PhD. , from the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL) & CIBERES, in Spain.

Reference: Oct. 6, 2021, Journal of Internal Medicine.
DOI: 10.1111 / joim.13386