Most people are naturally armed against Covid: Research

Chennai: A study has found that the majority of the people can produce neutralising antibodies against the novel coronavirus in severe cases of Covid-19.

The researchers noted that neutralising antibodies that specifically target the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein—which the virus uses to enter human cells—are thought to be essential for controlling it.

According to the team, including researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel, RBD-specific neutralising antibodies have been detected in convalescent patients—those who have recovered from Covid-19.

Published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, the study used molecular and bioinformatics techniques to compare B-cell responses in eight patients with severe COVID-19 and 10 individuals with mild symptoms, 1.5 months after infection.

Some of the recoverees tend to have robust and long-lasting immunity, while others display a waning of their neutralising antibodies, they said.