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. 2022 Oct 5;14(10):2196.
doi: 10.3390/v14102196.

The Performances of Three Commercially Available Assays for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies at Different Time Points Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Heidi Syre  1 , Marius Eduardo Brå Obreque  1 , Ingvild Dalen  2 , Åse Garløv Riis  3 , Åse Berg  3 , Iren Høyland Löhr  1 , Jon Sundal  3 , Lars Kåre Kleppe  3 , May Sissel Vadla  4   5 , Ole Bernt Lenning  4   6 , Jan Stefan Olofsson  7 , Kristin Greve-Isdahl Mohn  7 , Camilla Tøndel  7 , Bjørn Blomberg  8   9 , Mai Chi Trieu  7 , Nina Langeland  8   9 , Rebecca Jane Cox  7   10
Affiliations

The Performances of Three Commercially Available Assays for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies at Different Time Points Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Heidi Syre et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performances of three commercially available antibody assays for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies at different time points following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Sera from 536 cases, including 207 SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive, were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies with the Wantai receptor binding domain (RBD) total antibody assay, Liaison S1/S2 IgG assay and Alinity i nucleocapsid IgG assay and compared to a two-step reference ELISA (SARS-CoV-2 RBD IgG and SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG). Diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and Cohen's kappa were calculated for the commercial assays. The assay's sensitivities varied greatly, from 68.7% to 95.3%, but the specificities remained high (96.9-99.1%). The three tests showed good performances in sera sampled 31 to 60 days after PCR positivity compared to the reference ELISA. The total antibody test performed better than the IgG tests the first 30 days and the nucleocapsid IgG test showed reduced sensitivity two months or more after PCR positivity. Hence, the test performances at different time points should be taken into consideration in clinical practice and epidemiological studies. Spike or RBD IgG tests are preferable in sera sampled more than two months following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; antibody assay; nucleocapsid; receptor binding domain; spike.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity rates in the Wantai RBD total antibody assay, Liaison S1/S2 IgG assay and Alinity i nucleocapsid IgG assay by analyzing serum samples collected from 46 SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals at two or more time points for up to 38 weeks following PCR positivity. In weeks 37–38, most PCR-positive cases were SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated, resulting in 100% positivity rates in the Wantai RBD total antibody assay and Liaison S1/S2 IgG assay.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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