Stringent thresholds in SARS-CoV-2 IgG assays lead to under-detection of mild infections.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Thresholds for SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays have typically been determined using samples from symptomatic, often hospitalised, patients. In this setting the sensitivity and specificity of the best performing assays can both exceed 98%. However, antibody assay performance following mild infection is less clear.

Methods

We assessed quantitative IgG responses in a cohort of healthcare workers in Oxford, UK, with a high pre-test probability of Covid-19, in particular the 991/11,475(8.6%) who reported loss of smell/taste. We use anosmia/ageusia and other risk factors as probes for Covid-19 infection potentially undiagnosed by immunoassays by investigating their relationship with antibody readings either side of assay thresholds.

Results

The proportion of healthcar

SUBMITTER: Eyre DW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7889711 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature