Plasma-based antigen persistence in the post-acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Michael J PelusoZoe N SwankSarah A GoldbergScott LuThomas DalhuisenElla BorbergYasmeen SenussiMichael A LunaCelina Chang SongAlexus ClarkAndhy ZamoraMegan LewBadri ViswanathanBeatrice HuangKhamal AnglinRebecca HohPriscila Y HsueMatthew S DurstenfeldMatthew A SpinelliDavid V GliddenTimothy J HenrichJ Daniel KellySteven G DeeksDavid R WaltJeffrey N MartinPublished in: medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences (2023)
Our findings provide strong evidence that SARS-CoV-2 antigens can persist beyond the period of acute illness. The observation that more than 10% of plasma samples for over a year following initial SARS-CoV-2 infection contain detectable viral antigen, which are potentially immunogenic, has significant implications given the sheer number of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 to date. More work will be needed to determine whether these antigens have a causal role in post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC).