Accurate serology for SARS-CoV-2 and common human coronaviruses using a multiplex approach
van Tol, Sophie; Mögling, Ramona; Li, Wentao; Godeke, Gert-Jan; Swart, Arno; Bergmans, Barbara; Brandenburg, Afke; Kremer, Kristin; Murk, Jean-Luc; van Beek, Josine; Wintermans, Bas; Reimerink, Johan; Bosch, Berend-Jan; Reusken, Chantal
(2020) Emerging Microbes and Infections, volume 9, issue 1, pp. 1965 - 1973
(Article)
Abstract
Serology is a crucial part of the public health response to the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Here, we describe the development, validation and clinical evaluation of a protein micro-array as a quantitative multiplex immunoassay that can identify S and N-directed SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies with high specificity and sensitivity and distinguish them
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from all currently circulating human coronaviruses. The method specificity was 100% for SARS-CoV-2 S1 and 96% for N antigen based on extensive syndromic (n=230 cases) and population panel (n=94) testing that also confirmed the high prevalence of seasonal human coronaviruses. To assess its potential role for both SARS-CoV-2 patient diagnostics and population studies, we evaluated a large heterogeneous COVID-19 cohort (n=330) and found an overall sensitivity of 89% (≥ 21 days post onset symptoms (dps)), ranging from 86% to 96% depending on severity of disease. For a subset of these patients longitudinal samples were provided up to 56 dps. Mild cases showed absent or delayed, and lower SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses. Overall, we present the development and extensive clinical validation of a multiplex coronavirus serological assay for syndromic testing, to answer research questions regarding to antibody responses, to support SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics and to evaluate epidemiological developments efficiently and with high-throughput.
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Keywords: Aged, Antibodies, Viral/blood, Antigens, Viral/blood, Betacoronavirus/immunology, COVID-19, COVID-19 Testing, Clinical Laboratory Techniques/methods, Coronavirus Infections/diagnosis, Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Middle Aged, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus/immunology, Neutralization Tests, Nucleocapsid Proteins/blood, Pandemics, Phosphoproteins, Pneumonia, Viral/diagnosis, Protein Array Analysis, SARS Virus/immunology, SARS-CoV-2, Sensitivity and Specificity, Severity of Illness Index, Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/blood, serology, immune profiling, micro-array
ISSN: 2222-1751
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
(Peer reviewed)