Ultrafast and high-throughput immunoassay test of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in dogs

Abstract

As SARS-CoV-2 has reportedly infected companion, livestock and wildlife species, animals may play a role as virus reservoirs and reverse zoonosis may become a significant risk. Since these host species may serve as ground for new variants, SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in animal species should be considered as crucial for pandemics prevention. Accordingly, the present study has aimed to validate a high-throughput ultrafast magnetic bead immunoassay to detect anti- SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in dog serum samples. The assay was validated using serum from eleven positive dogs to SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR and 160 pre-pandemic samples, reaching 72.7% to 81.8% sensitivity and 97.5 to 98.1% specificity. Thus, this novel assay has shown adequate performance of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detection and may be used for surveillance and research purposes.