November 16, 2020

Sex Differences in the Decline of Neutralizing Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Vaccines and Immunity

Keywords (Tags): immunity

[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A longitudinal study of sera from 308 SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive individuals found that males exhibited a faster decline in anti-S and neutralizing antibodies than females, suggesting that the duration of protection may differ by sex.  Higher levels of antibodies were observed one month after symptom onset among males, people over age 50, and those with a BMI >25. At months 3-6, while anti-S antibodies persisted in 99% of people, anti-N IgG antibodies were only found in 59% of people. Neutralizing antibody titers decreased twice as fast as anti-S IgG.

Grzelak et al. (Nov 15, 2020). Sex Differences in the Decline of Neutralizing Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. MedRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.12.20230466