Measles IgG Antibodies: Is There a Protective Role in COVID 19 Pandemic?‎ ‎

Background and study aim: Epidemiological data reported lower death rates of COVID-19 cases in countries with higher & ‎recent coverage by measles containing vaccines. In this study we aim to identify measles IgG titer ‎in COVID-19 patients & correlate it with disease severity‎‎‎‎. Patients and Method: ‎This is a Cross-sectional study where 78 patients admitted to Ain Shams University Quarantine ‎hospitals with positive PCR for SARS-CoV-2 were enrolled. All patients underwent ‎quantification of serum measles IgG titer. Then classified according to the COVID-19 severity ‎into mild, moderate and severe‎‎.‎ Results: Measles IgG was positive in 53 patients (68%) with median of 1600 (IQR 1000-or3100), borderline ‎in 18 patients (23%) with median 250 (IQR 200-250) and negative in seven patients (9%) with ‎median 100 (IQR 80-120). Patients with positive measles IgG were significantly older (56±16 ‎years) than those with negative measles IgG ( 48±15 years) (P=0.03).No significant difference ‎was found in measles IgG titer between mild , moderate and severe COVID19 cases. Intensity of ‎pulmonary involvement by CT chest was not correlated with measles IgG titer. The median of ‎measles IgG titer of the ICU admitted patients and those who were not, was 1150 (IQR=600-3500) ‎and 1050 (IQR=200-1800) respectively (p=0.46). No difference in measles IgG titer between ‎patients who recovered or died‎‎‎. Conclusion: Severity of COVID-19 disease and its outcome seem to be unaffected by measles IgG titer‎‎‎‎‎.