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,
Marius Eduardo Brå Obreque,
Ingvild Dalen,
Åse Garløv Riis,
Åse Berg,
Iren Høyland Löhr,
Jon Sundal,
Lars Kåre Kleppe,
May Sissel Vadla,
Ole Bernt Lenning,
Jan Stefan Olofsson,
Kristin Greve-Isdahl Mohn,
Camilla Tøndel,
Bjørn Blomberg,
Mai Chi Trieu,
Nina Langeland,
Rebecca Jane Cox
Affiliations
Heidi Syre
Department of Medical Microbiology, Stavanger University Hospital, 4068 Stavanger, Norway
Marius Eduardo Brå Obreque
Department of Medical Microbiology, Stavanger University Hospital, 4068 Stavanger, Norway
Ingvild Dalen
Department of Research, Section of Biostatistics, Stavanger University Hospital, 4068 Stavanger, Norway
Åse Garløv Riis
Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, 4068 Stavanger, Norway
Åse Berg
Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, 4068 Stavanger, Norway
Iren Høyland Löhr
Department of Medical Microbiology, Stavanger University Hospital, 4068 Stavanger, Norway
Jon Sundal
Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, 4068 Stavanger, Norway
Lars Kåre Kleppe
Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, 4068 Stavanger, Norway
May Sissel Vadla
Municipality of Randaberg, 4070 Randaberg, Norway
Ole Bernt Lenning
Municipality of Randaberg, 4070 Randaberg, Norway
Jan Stefan Olofsson
Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
Kristin Greve-Isdahl Mohn
Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
Camilla Tøndel
Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
Bjørn Blomberg
Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
Mai Chi Trieu
Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
Nina Langeland
Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
Rebecca Jane Cox
Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
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.
