Development and longevity of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in kidney transplant recipients after symptomatic COVID-19.

The development and longevity of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) is not clear. Though seroconversion has been documented , the persistence of this response with time is not established. We longitudinally studied the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in KTRs after symptomatic coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Forty-seven patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 RTPCR between May 2020 and March 2021 were followed up in the transplant clinic for 5.55 ± 2.32 months. Sera was initially tested at day 15 from diagnosis for the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 total IgG antibodies using COVID KAWACH IgG MICROLISA (J. Mitra Pvt. Ltd; approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research ). It is a qualitative assay using SARS CoV-2 virus whole-cell antigen (sensitivity = 96.33%, specificity = 100%). Patients negative on day 15, were retested until they seroconverted.