JERUSALEM, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have found that patients with severe COVID-19 develop antibodies faster than those with mild cases of the disease, Tel Aviv University (TAU) in central Israel said Thursday.
In their new study, TAU researchers used a new serological test developed in their laboratory, examining the development of antibodies targeting two different viral proteins in patients' bodies.
Although patients with severe COVID-19 developed antibodies faster than those in mild condition, in the long run the level of antibodies was similar in all patients, the study showed.
According to the researchers, "this is important because one might have thought that the severely ill became so sick because they did not develop a sufficient number of antibodies and were thus unable to combat the virus effectively."
The researchers assume that the fast development of antibodies in these patients indicates that their immune system is hyper-active.
It was also found that the antibodies develop at a relatively early stage of the disease, meaning that the new serological test may potentially serve as a diagnostic tool at different stages of the illness and as a means for fast and effective population surveys.
The team also found that levels of the antibody targeting the viral protein that binds the virus to human cells remained high in the patients' blood for the first two months following contagion, possibly indicating immunological memory.
According to TAU, "all these findings have important implications for understanding the immune response to the novel coronavirus, as well as future tracking of the effectiveness of vaccines and population surveys." Enditem
