Coronavirus outbreak suggests antibodies may provide immunity

Three Seattle fishermen who were spared the coronavirus during an outbreak that affected 85% of people on their boat may provide the first direct evidence that antibodies can provide immunity against contagion, according to a new report.

Blood samples taken before the departure of the factory trawler FV American Dynasty, owned by American Seafoods, indicated that three of the 122 people on board had high levels of neutralizing antibodies – which prevent the virus from entering human cells – indicating that they once were. infected and recovered, the Seattle Times reported.

None of the crew members tested positive for the virus – and although six tested positive for antibodies that bind to the novel coronavirus, only these three had neutralizing antibodies, the outlet reported.

Eighteen days after the start of its voyage, the ship returned to shore after a crew member fell ill and had to be hospitalized. As the remaining crew members were monitored for the next 50 days, 104 people were confirmed to be infected, according to the report.

None of the members with neutralizing antibodies reported symptoms or were infected, a detail that researcher Dr Alex Greninger called “promising news,” in an as yet unpaired report published on MedRxiv.

“This is a strong indication that the presence of neutralizing antibodies is associated with protection against the virus,” said Greninger, deputy director of the University of Washington Clinical Virology Laboratory of Medicine, according to the Times.

“Although this is a small study, it offers a remarkable, real human experience,” Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, wrote in a commentary, the newspaper reports. “Who would have thought that immunological research on fishing boats could be so instructive?”

Statistical analysis indicates that it is probably not a coincidence that these three members have remained virus-free, according to the Times. However, the study doesn’t explain why 15 other crew members apparently never contracted the disease – and Greninger suggested their specific jobs protected them from exposure.

The other crew members found to be carrying the antibodies contracted the virus, indicating that their first results may have been false positives, according to Greninger.