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Longitudinal Analysis of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Coronavirus-Specific Antibody in SARS Patients

Department of Internal Medicine,¹ Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan²

Received 14 February 2005/ Returned for modification 12 April 2005/ Accepted 29 September 2005

The serum antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus of 18 SARS patients were checked at 1 month and every 3 months after disease onset. All of them except one, who missed blood sampling at 1 month, tested positive for the immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody at 1 month. Fifteen out of 17 tested positive for the IgM antibody at 1 month. The serum IgM antibody of most patients became undetectable within 6 months after the onset of SARS. The IgG antibody of all 17 patients, whose serum was checked 1 year after disease onset, remained positive.