May 26, 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing in Healthcare Workers a Comparison of the Clinical Performance of Three Commercially Available Antibody Assays

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

Keywords (Tags): antibodies, testing

• [Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A comparison of commercially available SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays found that the Roche Anti-SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid Total Antibody test (Roche) detected antibodies for at least seven months after confirmed natural infection with while sensitivity of the Abbott Anti-SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid IgG (Abbott) declined over time. Among serum samples from healthcare workers (N=5,788) with previously confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, 41% tested positive on Abbott and 95% tested positive on Roche. Sensitivity of the Abbott test started to decline at 150 days following natural infection, while Roche positivity was retained for the entire 210-day study period. These results may indicate that the Roche antibody test is better suited than Abbott to population-based studies of SARS-CoV-2 serology, though the authors note that the relationship between serologic response and functional immunity needs to be more clearly defined.

Allen et al. (May 26, 2021). SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing in Healthcare Workers a Comparison of the Clinical Performance of Three Commercially Available Antibody Assays. Pre-print downloaded May 26 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.25.21257772