Antibodies are of two types – IgM and IgG, and they are produced at different stages of the disease. IgM are more common antibodies that appear almost immediately after encountering an infection. As the immune response develops, IgG antibodies more specific to the coronavirus are formed. They can be detected not earlier than 14-17 days after infection.
However, high levels of antibodies only last for the first few months after illness. Then their number decreases. Researchers continue to study these processes.
In this case, the antibodies produced by the body can be directed to different parts of the pathogen. You have probably seen the image of the new coronavirus many times: a round shell with a shell and a “crown” of many thorns.
So, some antibodies are produced against the “crown”. More precisely, to its s-proteins, or spike proteins (from the English spike – thorn). Others – to the envelope, which consists of nucleocapsid c-proteins (from the English capsid – the outer envelope of the virus). Understanding these differences helps scientists more accurately assess the patient’s immune status and history of COVID-19.
After natural infection, antibodies are produced both to the virus nucleocapsid and to the spike proteins.
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