The time course of the immune response to experimental coronavirus infection of man
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SUMMARY: After preliminary trials, the detailed changes in the concentration of specific circulating and local antibodies were followed in 15 volunteers inoculated with coronavirus 229E. Ten of them, who had significantly lower concentrations of pre-existing antibody than the rest, became infected and eight of these developed colds. A limited investigation of circulating lymphocyte populations showed some lymphocytopenia in infected volunteers. In this group, antibody concentrations started to increase 1 week after inoculation and reached a maximum about 1 week later. Thereafter antibody titres slowly declined. Although concentrations were still slightly raised 1 year later, this did not always prevent reinfection when volunteers were then challenged with the homologous virus. However, the period of virus shedding was shorter than before and none developed a cold. All of the uninfected group were infected on re-challenge although they also appeared to show some resistance to disease and in the extent of infection. These results are discussed with reference to natural infections with coronavirus and with other infections, such as rhinovirus infections.
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Experience from other human coronaviruses has indicated the possibility of re-infection because of a waning antibody response.
“Experience from other human coronaviruses has indicated the possibility of re-infection because of a waning antibody response (Callow et al., 1990; Wu et al., 2007).”
From A thermostable mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 (2020) · cites this paper as Callow et al., 1990
Most adults have probably had multiple hCoV exposures, and after an hCoV infection people can become reinfection-susceptible within 12-18 months.
“By adulthood, most individuals are likely to have been exposed multiple times, with longitudinal studies and human challenge studies suggesting that individuals become susceptible to reinfection within 12–18 months after a previous hCoV infection74–78.”
From Prospects for durable immune control of SARS-CoV-2 and prevention of reinfection (2021) · cites this paper as [76]
Other scenarios are plausible: vaccine protection may be brief, or it may prevent severe disease without stopping spread.
“alternative scenarios are also possible in which vaccine efficacy is either short lived or provides protection from severe disease but does not block transmission74–78.”
From Prospects for durable immune control of SARS-CoV-2 and prevention of reinfection (2021) · cites this paper as [76]
Controlled infection studies with endemic coronaviruses found that nasal IgA levels correlate with protection.
“Historical studies of controlled human infection with endemic coronaviruses indicated that levels of nasal IgA correlate with protection against these infections35,36.”
From Immunological mechanisms of vaccine-induced protection against COVID-19 in humans (2021) · cites this paper as [36]
The HCoV challenge studies provide evidence for immune memory that at least provided protection from clinical symptoms and reduced viral shedding, and this provides support for the potential efficacy of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.
“Thus, the studies provide evidence for immune memory that at least provided protection from clinical symptoms and reduced viral shedding; this also provides support for the potential efficacy of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.”
From Adaptive immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 (2021) · cites this paper as Callow et al., 1990
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References 36 · Cited by 598
Research works printed but not linked: 30
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- Authors
- Callow, K. A., Parry, H. F., Sergeant, M., & Tyrrell, D. A. J.
- Affiliations
- Salisbury District Hospital (GB)
- Harvard University (US)
- ORCID
- Parry, H. F.
- Venue
- Epidemiology and Infection
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 1990-10
- Volume
- 105
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 435-446
- ISSN
- 0950-2688 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-4409
- PMC
- PMC2271881
- OpenAlex
- W1979065938
- Cited by
- 598
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 74 · 2021: 194 · 2020: 195 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 0.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Epidemiology and Infection (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Respiratory viral infections research
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Animal Virus Infections Studies
- Keywords
- HCoV-229E, experimental infection, humoral immune response, antibody titers, antibody persistence, reinfection, lymphopenia, cold, viral shedding, pre-existing antibodies, rhinovirus infection
- MeSH terms
- Antibodies, Viral, Coronaviridae, Coronaviridae Infections, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Humans, Immunoglobulin A, Immunoglobulin A, Secretory, Immunoglobulin G, Kinetics, Leukocyte Count, Lymphocytes, Nasal Mucosa
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