Sustained seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies one year after infection: one of the first COVID-19 cluster cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Authors

  • Božo Šušak Department of Infectious Diseases, University Clinical Hospital Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; School of Medicine, University of Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5401-9001
  • Vinka Mikulić School of Medicine, University of Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, University Clinical Hospital Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8913-3018
  • Armina Lazarević Hygienic and Epidemiological Service, Konjic Health Center, Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9620-2659
  • Ivanka Mikulić School of Medicine, University of Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, University Clinical Hospital Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1576-8237
  • Jurica Arapovic Department of Infectious Diseases, University Clinical Hospital Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; School of Medicine, University of Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7674-6795

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17305/bjbms.2021.6340

Keywords:

Bosnia and Herzegoina, pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, immune response, seroconversion, IgG

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2) is a novel virus that has been identified as a causal agent of COVID-19,  an emergent infectious disease which brought about a new pandemic in the twenty-first century. The immune responses and clinical features of individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 have not yet been fully described. Thus, in this study, we compare the seroprevalence and define the correlation between symptoms and serological results in the first COVID-19 cluster in the city of Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Of the total number, 93% of RT-PCR positive participants had positive IgG serology and 75% of them developed symptoms of COVID-19. We found that there was no significant alteration in specific IgG (p = 0.504) antibody levels during the 1-year period after COVID-19. Our results indicate that symptomatic COVID-19 patients have a higher rate of seroconversion (p < 0.01). The IgG seroconversion was correlated with high fever (p = 0.002) and headache (p = 0.007), suggesting that these symptoms could be considered as indicators of a better immune response. This study has demonstrated persistence of sustained levels of specific SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after recovering from COVID-19 infection. However, in order to gain a better insight into the immune response to SARS-CoV-2, further systematic studies should be focused on quality and longevity analyses.

Sustained seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies one year after infection: one of the first COVID-19 cluster cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Published

01-02-2022

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New and Emerging Medical Entities

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How to Cite

1.
Sustained seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies one year after infection: one of the first COVID-19 cluster cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Biomol Biomed [Internet]. 2022 Feb. 1 [cited 2024 Mar. 28];22(1):147-52. Available from: https://bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/6340