Does an antibody test make sense before the next corona vaccination?

Created: 10/20/2022, 8:30 p.m

By: Juliane Gutmann

Corona-specific antibodies dock onto corona viruses and render them harmless.

Many antibodies mean sufficient protection against Covid-19, right?

When it comes into contact with viruses and other pathogens, a healthy organism reacts by producing antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins.

They are an important component of our immune system because they can recognize viruses such as corona viruses and render them harmless.

The predominant type of antibody in the blood is immunoglobulin G (IgG).

Anyone who has just been vaccinated against Corona or is currently recovering from Covid-19 usually has many antibodies in their blood.

However, these do not remain permanently elevated in the blood.

The level drops the longer the vaccination or infection has passed.

With regard to vaccination, no general statement can be made as to how long the vaccination protection lasts after immunization.

However , the

assumes that the vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna still protect 85 percent of healthy adults against corona infection after two to four months.

Antibody levels can only be determined with a blood test.

© Marijan Murat/dpa

Antibody tests can be used to determine how many corona-specific antibodies (Sars-CoV-2 IgG) are present in the blood.

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Corona antibodies: is the test of no use?

An antibody test can be ordered from the general practitioner.

This usually has to be paid for by yourself and costs around 20 euros.

But how should one interpret the result?

A high value makes a new vaccination superfluous?

As the

quotes the

, testing for corona antibodies is of no use.

The reason for this: The protective effect of antibodies can differ from person to person and does not only depend on the amount.

Therefore, based on a person's antibody value, it is not possible to predict with certainty how well this person is protected against Covid-19, it is said.

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No vaccination if antibody level is high?

Another reason why an antibody test is of no use for healthy adults: So far there is no defined limit value for evaluating corona immunity.

“Experience on the duration of immune protection after vaccination is also only being collected gradually.

So far, no reliable assessment of the titers has been possible," says laboratory information from the

.

Accordingly, a high antibody value should not be seen as an argument against a

corona booster vaccination recommended by

The booster vaccination not only serves to increase the titer, but also to extend the protection period, according to the

.

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However, there are cases in which it can make sense to determine the antibody titer, for example because it can be used to initiate an early booster vaccination.

Immune deficiency or the use of immunosuppressive drugs are among them: "This is the case, for example, with organ transplant recipients, even with severe rheumatic diseases, powerful immunosuppressive drugs are often taken.

Determining the antibody titer can also be useful for people with diseases such as HIV, which restrict the immune system," the

quotes Dr.

Matthias Orth, Chief Physician at the Institute for Laboratory Medicine in the Marienhospital in Stuttgart.