Those who have survived Covid-19 protect the antibodies formed by the organism from re-infection.
But not for long, as German researchers found out.
After the corona vaccination and during an infection with coronaviruses, antibodies develop that attack coronaviruses and render them harmless.
However, antibodies do not remain in the bloodstream until the end of their life, but gradually disappear again
, as the Rhineland study shows. The study carried out by the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases eV (DZNE) examines which protective and risk factors influence the health of adults. In addition to risk factors such as an unhealthy lifestyle, the study directors are currently also paying attention to the coronavirus pandemic.
As the German research team around first author N. Ahmad Aziz from the DZNE concludes from their study,
the protection provided by antibodies decreases quickly, especially after symptom-free and mild corona infections
.
Every fifth convalescent had no more antibodies after six months, as
informed by
the international radio of the Federal Republic of Germany,
Deutsche Welle
,
among others
.
Early decrease in antibodies in the blood, especially after a slight corona course
The study, in which virologist Christian Drosten from Charité University Medicine in Berlin was also involved, was based on data from around 5,100 adults from Bonn. The focus was on the antibodies against the coronavirus that the test subjects had formed.
An increased corona antibody level was measured in 92 test subjects between April and June 2020, and in 22 study participants, "neutralizing", i.e. particularly effective, antibodies could be detected by a blood test
, as the study shows.
120 days after the first blood sample, all study participants who tested positive for coronavirus antibodies and who showed up for the follow-up examination were re-examined (83 of a total of 92 test subjects).
For most of the participants, the titer of the neutralizing antibodies had decreased significantly
, as reported by
Deutsche Welle
. The conclusion of the study leaders after evaluating the data: Especially after mild or asymptomatic coronavirus infections, there is a rapid decrease in antibodies in the blood.
However, researchers point out that T cells also play an important role in the defense against coronaviruses.
These belong to the white blood cells and track down cells infected by the virus in order to destroy them and thus prevent the virus from spreading further in the body, as the portal informs pulmonologists on the Internet.
German researchers were able to determine in a study that those recovered from Covid-19 no longer had as many antibodies in their blood as those who were acutely ill.
However, the level of T lymphocytes - also called T cells or T effector memory cells - in the blood was high.
(jg)
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