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Author Notes:

Correspondence: Jeannette Guarner, Email: jguarne@emory.edu

No reported conflicts of interest. Both authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest.

Subjects:

Keywords:

  • Science & Technology
  • Life Sciences & Biomedicine
  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • COVID-19
  • serology
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • IgG
  • IgM

Role of Serology in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

Tools:

Journal Title:

CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Volume:

Volume 71, Number 8

Publisher:

, Pages 1935-1936

Type of Work:

Article | Post-print: After Peer Review

Abstract:

In this issue of Clinical Infections Diseases, F Xiang et al present a serologic study of 85 nucleic acid test (NAT) SARS-CoV-2 positive patients and 24 NAT negative patients who had symptoms suspicious for COVID-191. Sixty controls were also evaluated and included healthy healthcare staff and patients with a variety of diseases from bacterial pneumonia to lung cancer. Serological testing consisted of an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay designed to detect IgM and IgG antibodies against the N protein of SARS-CoV-2. Serial examination of COVID-19 patients resulted in IgM seroreactivity by day 4 post symptom onset, which peaked by day 9. In contrast, IgG sharply increased 12 days after symptom onset; all NAT positive patients were positive for IgG 30 days post symptom onset. In patients with suspected COVID-19 who tested NAT negative, IgM antibodies were detected in 87.5% and IgG was present in 70.8%. In contrast, only 3 individuals in the control group tested positive for IgG but IgM positivity was not observed. The authors calculated a sensitivity for diagnosis of COVID19 using IgM of 77.3% and a specificity of 100% while for IgG the sensitivity was higher at 83.3% and the specificity was 95%.

Copyright information:

© The Author(s) 2020.

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