Antibody tests for COVID-19

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 virus caused a globally growing pandemic called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has disrupted social, political, and medical environments around the world. Nations are assessing ways to reopen businesses while trying to balance health care risks and economic fallouts. Strategies involving antibody testing have been proposed before phased reopening of the economy. Therefore, assessing the sensitivity and specificity of antibody tests for symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients remains paramount to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks. The antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2 detect the presence of IgA, IgM, or IgG antibodies produced by B cells. There are four major types of antibody tests: rapid diagnostic tests, enzymelinked immunosorbent assays, neutralization assays, and chemiluminescent immunoassays. Currently, there is no standard antibody test for detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibodies during or after exposure or infection. The antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2 have a low specificity within the first week of exposure and increase in the second and third weeks. The current data on antibody tests have several limitations in quality and the presence of bias. Specifically, many antibody tests have a high false-negative rate and a high risk of bias for participant selection, application of index tests, reference standard used, and flow and timing for antibody tests that may incorrectly report the accuracy of COVID-19 antibody tests. In this review, we summarize the current methods, sensitivity/specificity, and gaps in knowledge concerning COVID-19 antibody testing.

Comparison of three serological chemiluminescence immunoassays for SARS-CoV-2, and clinical significance of antibody index with disease severity

“…After the pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the dynamics and performance of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody have been actively studied [10][11][12][13]. However, we have limited information, and the results often show inconsistencies.…”

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on insurance demand: the case of China

“…1 The COVID-19 pandemic is characterized by sudden outbreak [ 20 , 23 , 24 ] and damage to human lung [ 12 ], gastrointestinal system [ 23 , 24 ], olfactory sensation [ 2 ] and pancreas [ 10 ], which causes the high infection rate [ 17 ] and morbidity [ 29 ] of COVID-19. Moreover, the factors that affect the incidence and severity of COVID-19 are not clear [ 15 , 16 ] and there is no standard antibody test for detecting COVID-19 antibodies during or after exposure or infection [ 15 , 16 ], which can lead to people’s perception of the high risk of infection and even death, especially when there are confirmed cases in a local city [ 4 ]. People will make corresponding decisions on the risk perception to implement loss control [ 27 ], and one of the most important ways is to purchase insurance.…”

Risk assessment of corona virus: Implementing hierarchy of hazard control in workplaces

“…The novel coronavirus or the other name Severe Acute differs between different ethnic groups and races, and men are at higher risk than women [9]. Low sensitivity and specifi city of antibody tests used in the diagnosis of both symptomatic and asymptomatic Covid-19 patients poses a major challenge to managing the outbreak [10].…”