If you have been vaccinated, you are probably curious to know if your body has produced antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 following the administration of vaccine doses.
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specialists MedLife in laboratory medicine explains when and what type of test to do to determine the level of post-vaccination antibodies.
Vaccines induce the production of anti-Spike protein antibodies
The current vaccines used in our country induce in the receiving organism the synthesis of neutralizing antibodies, respectively anti-Spike antibodies. They prevent the virus from adhering and penetrating the host cell, respectively its multiplication. Although not identical in structure to the antigenic determinant, all available vaccines will sensitize immune cells and generate anti-S antibodies.
Dr. Daniela Stratomir, primary physician in laboratory medicine at MedLife: “Current variants of mRNA vaccines (Pfizer – BioNTech and Moderna) are portions of mRNA that hold information on various structures of the Spike protein wrapped in lipid nanoparticles. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine contains a modified variant of adenovirus to which the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein gene has been added. As a result, these vaccines are expected to induce in the vaccinated body the synthesis of anti-Spike protein antibodies, but also the sensitization of the immune system cells responsible for the synthesis of these antibodies. “
Anti-Spike test to determine antibody titer after vaccination
So, if you have been vaccinated, whether or not you have the certainty of a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, it is recommended that you get a test for anti-Spike antibodies. MedLife labs can perform:
► qualitative anti-S IgM tests, which confirm or refute the presence of antibodies, without specifying their concentration;
► quantitative anti-S IgG tests, which determine the concentration of antibodies, expressed in arbitrary units, specific to each manufacturer.
“There are a variety of commercial kits that highlight anti-S binding antibodies, they differ, sometimes major, in the structure of antigenic determinants that are contained in the reagent, so also in the type of antibodies detected (anti-S1 / S2, anti- RBD, anti-S trimeric, anti-S1, anti-S, etc.). This may lead to differences in specificity between kits and differences in results. ‘, explains the doctor.
How long after the vaccination can you take the antibody test?
It usually takes the body 1 to 3 weeks to generate antibodies following the infection. In the case of the vaccine, doctors draw attention to the likelihood that the titer of neutralizing antibodies will become significant only after the administration of both doses of vaccine, especially in people who are not sure that they have previously been infected.
If you want to compare the evolution of the post-vaccination antibody titer, you can do the anti-S IgG test at an interval of 15 – 21 days from the administration of the first dose of vaccine and after at least 7 days from the administration of the booster.
Tests for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies involve the collection of a blood sample and are performed on request in MedLife centers, without a ticket or appointment in advance.
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The article is part of the campaign MedLife We are doing Romania well.
We have been with you for 26 years and we do not stop. Because today, more than ever, medicine means fighting through science and knowledge.
To meet our patients with a wide range of services and tests adapted to current needs, we have aligned ourselves with international standards and opened our own Real Time PCR laboratories to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We have invested in the necessary infrastructure to assess whether the patient has gone through the disease and to test the post-infection or post-vaccination immune response.
We are constantly adapting to the present and preparing for the future. We are doing Romania well.
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