Kinetics of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies among inactivated COVID-19 vaccine recipients, SARS-CoV-2 natural infection cases, and breakthrough cases

Abstract

Between August and September, 2021, this study included 605 SARS-CoV-2 natural infection cases and 589 SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough cases from Nanjing and Yangzhou, as well as 690 inactivated COVID-19 vaccine recipients from Changzhou, China. In SARS-CoV-2 natural infection cases, the age range was 19-91 years (median age: 66 year), and the medians(Q1,Q3) of IgG titers were 0.19 (0.06-1.31), 3.70 (0.76-69.48), 15.31 (2.59-82.16), 4.41 (0.99-31.74), 2.31 (0.75-13.83), 2.28 (0.68-9.94) and 2.80 (1.00-9.53) at one to seven weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection, respectively. In SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough cases, the age range was 18-76 years (median age: 45 year), and the medians(Q1,Q3)of IgG titers were 1.93 (0.34-26.67), 38.87 (7.90-121.0), 75.09 (11.85-123.70), 21.97 (5.20-95.58), 13.97 (3.47-46.82), 9.56 (2.48-33.38) and 4.38 (1.87-11.00) at one to seven weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection, respectively. In inactivated COVID-19 vaccine recipients, the age range was 18-87 years (median age: 47 years), and the medians(Q1,Q3)of IgG titers were 16.22 (15.84-33.42), 5.35 (2.96-13.23), 3.30 (2.18-6.18), 3.14 (1.16-5.70), 2.77 (1.50-4.52), 2.72 (1.76-4.36), 2.01 (1.27-3.51) and 1.94 (1.35-3.09) at one to eight months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, respectively. The results suggested that IgG antibodies increased gradually within two weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection, then declined gradually at three to seven weeks in SARS-CoV-2 natural infection cases. In SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough cases, IgG antibodies increased rapidly within two weeks, then declined gradually at three to seven weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additionally, IgG antibodies decreased rapidly within three months, then decreased gradually and remained at a low level within three months after immunization.