Serologic studies of persons with COVID-19 infection
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Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Cohen Organization: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES Fiscal Year: 2020 Award: $112,386 Funding agency: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is associated with respiratory-related disease and death. Assays to detect virus-specific antibodies are important to understand the prevalence of infection and the course of the immune response. This year we developed highly quantitative assays to measure levels of plasma or serum antibodies to the nucleocapsid and spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 using luciferase immunoprecipitation system assays. One hundred cross-sectional or longitudinal plasma or serum samples were assayed from patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. A subset of samples was tested both with and without heat inactivation. At >14 days after symptom onset, antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein were detected with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity, whereas antibodies to spike protein were detected with 91% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Neither antibody levels nor the rate of seropositivity were significantly reduced by heat inactivation of samples. Analysis of daily samples from 6 patients with COVID-19 showed anti-nucleocapsid and spike protein antibodies appearing between days 8 and 14 after initial symptoms. Immunocompromised patients generally had a delayed antibody response to SARS-CoV-2, compared with immunocompetent patients. Antibody to the nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2 is more sensitive than spike protein antibody for detecting early infection. Analyzing heat-inactivated samples with a luciferase immunoprecipitation system assay is a safe and sensitive method for detecting SARS-CoV-2 Terms: <2019 novel coronavirus><2019-nCoV><Antibodies><Antibody Response><Antigenic Determinants><Assay><Binding Determinants><Bioassay><Biologic Assays><Biological Assay><Blood Plasma><Blood Serum><COVID-19><COVID19><Cessation of life><Death><Disease><Disorder><Epidemiologic Research><Epidemiologic Studies><Epidemiological Studies><Epidemiology Research><Epitopes><Goals><Human><Immune Precipitation><Immune response><Immunocompetent><Immunocompromised><Immunocompromised Host><Immunocompromised Patient><Immunological response><Immunoprecipitation><Immunosuppressed Host><Infection><Luciferase Immunologic><Luciferases><Measures><Methods><Modern Man><Nucleocapsid><Nucleocapsid Proteins><Patients><Persons><Plasma><Plasma Serum><Prevalence><Proteins><Reticuloendothelial System, Serum, Plasma><SARS-CoV-2><SARS-CoV2><SARS-associated coronavirus 2><SARS-coronavirus-2><SARS-related coronavirus 2><Sampling><Serologic><Serologic tests><Serological><Serological Tests><Serum><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><Specificity><Symptoms><System><T cell response><T-Cells><T-Lymphocyte><Testing><Time><Viral><Virus><Wuhan coronavirus><corona virus disease 2019><coronavirus disease 2019><epidemiologic investigation><epidemiology study><host response><immune competent><immunoresponse><immunosuppressed patient><respiratory><serology><seropositive><thymus derived lymphocyte>