Correlation of ELISA method with three other automated serological tests for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

PLoS One. 2020 Oct 6;15(10):e0240076. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240076. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Public health emergency of SARS-CoV-2 has facilitated diagnostic testing as a related medical countermeasure against COVID-19 outbreak. Numerous serologic antibody tests have become available through an expedited federal emergency use only process. This paper highlights the analytical characteristic of an ELISA based assay by AnshLabs and three random access immunoassay (RAIA) by DiaSorin, Roche, and Abbott that have been approved for emergency use authorization (EUA), at a tertiary academic center in a low disease-prevalence area. The AnshLabs gave higher estimates of sero-prevalence, over the three RAIA methods. For positive results, AnshLabs had 93.3% and 100% agreement with DiaSorin or Abbott and Roche respectively. For negative results, AnshLabs had 74.3% and 78.3% agreement with DiaSorin and Roche or Abbott respectively. All discrepant samples that were positive by AnshLabs and negative by RAIA tested positive by all-in-one step SARS-CoV-2 Total (COV2T) assay performed on the automated Siemens Advia Centaur XPT analyzer. None of these methods, however, are useful in early diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Viral / immunology*
  • Betacoronavirus / immunology*
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Testing
  • Clinical Laboratory Techniques / methods*
  • Coronavirus Infections / diagnosis*
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology
  • Diagnostic Tests, Routine
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / methods*
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Immunoglobulin M / blood
  • Nucleocapsid Proteins / immunology
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / diagnosis*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / virology
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Serologic Tests / methods*
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Immunoglobulin M
  • Nucleocapsid Proteins
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
  • spike protein, SARS-CoV-2

Grants and funding

Baylor Scott and White Health provided support for the study in the form of salaries for all authors, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.