Most people can produce antibodies against COVID-19 in severe cases: Study

According to researchers in Israel, majority of the people can produce neutralising antibodies against the novel coronavirus in severe COVID-19 cases.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel have found that neutralising antibodies that specifically targets the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein are essential for controlling it.

The study published in the medical journal Plos Pathogens revealed that of the 22 antibodies cloned from two severe donors, six exhibited potent neutralization against authentic SARS-CoV-2, and inhibited syncytia formation.
 
The virus uses SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to enter human cells. The researchers found that "antibodies can be readily produced by the majority of the uninfected population upon antigenic stimulation."

The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the newly emerged SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has incomparable public health, economic, and social consequences, the study said.

The researchers said RBD-specific neutralising antibodies have been detected in convalescent patients that is among those who have recovered from coronavirus.

The study declared that some patients who recovered from the virus displayed robust and long-lasting immunity, while others showed waning neutralising antibodies

The study said "cohort of 18 donors all patients with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection exhibited high titers of anti-RBD antibodies, in contrast to donors with milder symptoms, who exhibited a wide range of responses, ranging from high to non-detectable."

Bioinformatics analysis suggests that most people would be capable of readily producing neutralising antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in severe cases of COVID-19, the study revealed while stating that combinations of different types of neutralising antibodies completely blocked the live virus from spreading.