SARS-CoV-2 viral load and antibody responses: The case for convalescent plasma therapy

Arturo Casadevall, Michael J. Joyner, Liise Anne Pirofski

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

Most patients with COVID-19 lack antibody to SARS-CoV-2 in the first 10 days of illness while the virus drives disease pathogenesis. SARS-CoV-2 antibody deficiency in the setting of a tissue viral burden suggests that using an antibody as a therapeutic agent would augment the antiviral immune response. In this issue of the JCI, Wang and collaborators describe the kinetics of viral load and the antibody responses of 23 individuals with COVID-19 experiencing mild and severe disease. The researchers found that (a) individuals with mild and severe disease produced neutralizing IgG to SARS-CoV-2 10 days after disease onset, (b) SARS-CoV-2 persisted longer in those with severe disease, and (c) there was cross-reactivity between antibodies to SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2, but only antibodies from patients with COVID-19 neutralized SARS-CoV-2. These observations provide important information on the serological response to SARSCoV-2 of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 that can inform the use of convalescent plasma therapy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)5112-5114
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of Clinical Investigation
Volume130
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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