Nat Med: New research shows that protective immunity to seasonal coronavirus is short-lived.

September 27, 2020 /--- In a new study, researchers from research institutions such as the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands studied four similar coronavirus other than SARS-CoV-2, suggesting that the duration of protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 may be short-lived.
they monitored 10 healthy subjects for 35 years.
they found that re-infections of the same seasonal coronavirus often occur about a year after the initial infection, suggesting that caution may be required when developing policies that require long-term immunity through vaccination or natural infections.
study was recently published in the Journal of Nature Medicine under the title "Lyst coronavirus protective immunity is short-lasting".
author of the paper is Lia van der Hoek of the University of Amsterdam.
photo from Nature Medicine, 2020, doi:10.1038/s41591-020-1083-1.
although there is limited evidence of re-infection after exposure to SARS-CoV-2, it is generally believed that re-infection with coronavirus does occur.
to cope with future waves of SARS-CoV-2 infection, it is critical to understand the duration of immunity against re-infection.
the researchers studied four human seasonal coronavirus -- HCoV-NL63, HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, and HCoV-HKU1 -- that can cause respiratory infections.
the authors speculate that the characteristics common to these coronavirus may represent all human coronavirus, including SARS-CoV-2.
to understand the frequency of seasonal coronavirus infections, the authors studied 513 serum samples regularly collected from 10 healthy adult men in Amsterdam since the 1980s.
they measured an increase in antibody levels of NP --- a largely present coronavirus protein--- for each seasonal coronavirus.
levels of anti-NP antibodies are thought to have occurred.
observed that each adult male experienced 3 to 17 coronavirus infections, with re-infections between 6 and 105 months.
are often observed 12 months after initial infection.
the authors also found that all four seasonal coronavirus infection rates were lowest in blood samples taken in the Netherlands in June, July, August and September, indicating higher rates of winter infection in tempered countries.
they believe SARS-CoV-2 may follow the same pattern after the pandemic.
While further research is needed on larger cohorts, the authors conclude that all four seasonal coronavirus are frequently re-infected, suggesting that this may be a common feature of all human coronavirus, including SARS-CoV-2.
(bioon.com) Reference: 1. Arthur W. D. Edridge et al. The coronavirus protective immunity is short-lasting. Nature Medicine, 2020, doi:10.1038/s41591-020-1083-1.2.Protective immunity to localviruses may be short-lasting.