weakly affected patients have developed antibodies

Encouraging, this study showing that almost all of a group of caregivers, weakly affected by the coronavirus, developed protective antibodies still present 28 days after the onset of symptoms. How long will this immunity last?

An "overwhelming majority" of patients with a minor form of Covid-19 develops antibody who could then immunize "For several weeks" against the disease, according to a study by the CHU of Strasbourg and the Pasteur Institute, detailed on the site MedRxiv.

These results are "encouraging" since little is known about the mechanisms ofimmunity against the new coronavirus, especially in people with minor forms of the disease. " It was known that people with severe forms of the disease developed antibodies within 15 days of the onset of the signs. We now know that this is also true for those who make minor forms, even if the antibody levels are probably lower "Explains in a communicated one of the study's authors, Arnaud Fontanet, head of the Global Health department at the Pasteur Institute.

" Our study shows that the levels antibody are, in most cases, compatible with protection against re-infection with SARS-CoV-2, at least up to 40 days after the onset of signs "Adds Olivier Schwartz, head of unit Virus and immunity to Pasteur. According to him, " the objective now is to assess the persistence of the antibody response and its neutralization capacity over the long term Of the virus.

A " good news "To develop a future vaccine

The study, the results of which were published on Saturday and to which Pasteur communicated on Tuesday, was carried out on 160 patients, members of the hospital staff of the two sites of the university hospitals of Strasbourg. They were all affected by minor forms of Covid-19.

Serological tests (which aim to detect signs of a past infection after the fact) have shown that almost all of these people (153 or 159 out of 160 depending on the type of Review) developed antibodies within 15 days. the start of the infection. Another Review was used to determine whether these antibodies had the capacity to neutralize the virus. Verdict: 28 days after the start of symptoms, 98% of patients had developed these "neutralizing antibodies".

" These results are also good news for future vaccine strategies ", Underlines Pr Samira Fafi-Kremer, head of the virology service of the University hospitals of Strasbourg and first author of the study, also quoted in the press release.

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