TY - JOUR AU - Wei, Jia AU - Matthews, Philippa C. AU - Stoesser, Nicole AU - Maddox, Thomas AU - Lorenzi, Luke AU - Studley, Ruth AU - Bell, John I. AU - Newton, John N. AU - Farrar, Jeremy AU - Diamond, Ian AU - Rourke, Emma AU - Howarth, Alison AU - Marsden, Brian D. AU - Hoosdally, Sarah AU - Jones, E. Yvonne AU - Stuart, David I. AU - Crook, Derrick W. AU - Peto, Timothy E.A. AU - Pouwels, Koen B. AU - Walker, A. Sarah AU - Eyre, David W. AU - COVID-19 Infection Survey team PY - 2021 DA - October TI - Anti-spike antibody response to natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in the general population JO - Nature Communications VL - 12 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26479-2 AB - Understanding the trajectory, duration, and determinants of antibody responses after SARS-CoV-2 infection can inform subsequent protection and risk of reinfection, however large-scale representative studies are limited. Here we estimated antibody response after SARS-CoV-2 infection in the general population using representative data from 7,256 United Kingdom COVID-19 infection survey participants who had positive swab SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests from 26-April-2020 to 14-June-2021. A latent class model classified 24% of participants as ‘non-responders’ not developing anti-spike antibodies, who were older, had higher SARS-CoV-2 cycle threshold values during infection (i.e. lower viral burden), and less frequently reported any symptoms. Among those who seroconverted, using Bayesian linear mixed models, the estimated anti-spike IgG peak level was 7.3-fold higher than the level previously associated with 50% protection against reinfection, with higher peak levels in older participants and those of non-white ethnicity. The estimated anti-spike IgG half-life was 184 days, being longer in females and those of white ethnicity. We estimated antibody levels associated with protection against reinfection likely last 1.5-2 years on average, with levels associated with protection from severe infection present for several years. These estimates could inform planning for vaccination booster strategies. PB - Springer Nature UR - https://publichealthscotland.scot/id/50499 KW - Coronavirus (COVID-19) ER