Korean J Intern Med. 2021;36(1):11-14.

Dynamics of viral load and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in patients with positive RT-PCR results after recovery from COVID-19.

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제1저자 송경호, 김동민 · 교신저자 김의석

PMID 32972123 PMC7820639 DOI 10.3904/kjim.2020.325 IF 2.2 감염내과

소속 (7)

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
Department of Internal Medicine, Chosun University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Myongji Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea.
Department of Infectious Diseases, Seongnam Citizens Medical Center, Seongnam, Korea.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.

Abstract

Recently, the number of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who have tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), via the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, after recovery has increased; this has caused a dilemma regarding the medical measures and policies. We evaluated the dynamics of viral load and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in four patients with positive RT-PCR results after recovery. In all patients, the highest levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies were reached after about a month of the onset of the initial symptoms. Then, the IgG titers plateaued, and the IgM titers decreased, regardless of RT-PCR results. The IgG and IgM levels did not increase after the post-negative positive RT-PCR results in any of the patients. Our results reinforced that the post-negative positive RT-PCR results may be due to the detection of RNA particles rather than reinfection in individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.

Keywords

COVID-19ReinfectionSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

Figures

**Figure 1** Viral kinetics and humoral immune response in four patients with repeat-positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) after recovering from COVID-19. (A) Patient 1: a 73-year-old woman; (B) Patient 2: a 33-year-old man; (C) Patient 3: a 31-year-old woman (the wife of Patient 2); and (D) Patient 4: an 18-month-old girl (the daughter of Patients 2 and 3). The gray lines represent the viral load levels; the solid blue lines represent the immunoglobulin G (IgG) trajectory; and the dashed blue lines represent the IgM trajectory. Solid grey triangles indicate that the specimen was an upper respiratory sample, and clear squares indicate that the specimen was a lower respiratory sample. RdRP, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase; Ct, cycle threshold.

그림 출처: PubMed Central 공개 논문 (PMC7820639)

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

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