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Journal of immunological methods2022; 511; 113365; doi: 10.1016/j.jim.2022.113365

Novel bridge multi-species ELISA for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Abstract: Considering the course of the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it is important to have serological tests for monitoring humoral immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. Herein we describe a novel bridge enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (b-ELISA) for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detection in human and other species, employing recombinant Spike protein as a unique antigen, which is produced at high scale in insect larvae. Eighty two human control sera/plasmas and 169 COVID-19 patients' sera/plasmas, confirmed by rRT-PCR, were analyzed by the b-ELISA assay. In addition, a total of 27 animal sera (5 horses, 13 rats, 2 cats and 7 dogs) were employed in order to evaluate the b-ELISA in other animal species. Out of the 169 patient samples, 129 were positive for IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 and 40 were negative when they were tested by ELISA COVIDAR® IgG. When a cut-off value of 5.0 SDs was established, 124 out of the 129 COVID-19 positive samples were also positive by our developed b-ELISA (sensitivity: 96.12%). Moreover, the test was able to evaluate the humoral immune response in animal models and also detected as positive a naturally infected cat and two dogs with symptoms, whose owners had suffered the COVID-19 disease. The obtained results demonstrate that the method developed herein is versatile, as it is able to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in different animal species without the need to perform and optimize a new assay for each species.
Publication Date: 2022-10-04 PubMed ID: 36202252PubMed Central: PMC9529351DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2022.113365Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
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Summary

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The research describes a new test (b-ELISA) capable of detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in various species, including humans. The test uses the recombinant Spike protein produced in insect larvae as the main antigen to detect the antibodies.

Development of Bridge Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

  • The researchers created a bridge enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (b-ELISA) to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.
  • Unlike other tests, this new method uses recombinant Spike protein as the antigen, which is produced at a large scale in insect larvae. The Spike protein is a crucial component of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, making it a suitable marker for detecting antibodies.

Performance of the Test on Human Samples

  • The researchers used 82 control and 169 COVID-19 patient serum/plasma samples to evaluate the test’s effectiveness.
  • Out of the 169 patient samples, 129 tested positive for IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 and 40 tested negative, according to the ELISA COVIDAR® IgG test.
  • The b-ELISA determined 124 of the 129 positive samples as positive as well, indicating a high sensitivity rate of 96.12%. The sensitivity rate demonstrates the ability of the test to correctly identify true positive cases.

Extension of the Test to Animal Species

  • The researchers also used the b-ELISA to test samples from 27 animals (5 horses, 13 rats, 2 cats, and 7 dogs) to study its effectiveness beyond human species.
  • The test successfully measured the immune response in these animal models and correctly identified two dogs and a cat, which were naturally infected and exhibiting symptoms. These animals belonged to owners who had contracted COVID-19, further supporting the test’s accuracy.

Significance of the Research

  • The results from this study suggest that the b-ELISA is a versatile tool for detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in different species. This development removes the need for creating and optimizing separate tests for each animal species.
  • This research represents a significant breakthrough in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic by providing a quick and reliable method for monitoring the immune response, which is crucial for understanding the infection spread and efficacy of vaccines.

Cite This Article

APA
(2022). Novel bridge multi-species ELISA for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. J Immunol Methods, 511, 113365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jim.2022.113365

Publication

ISSN: 1872-7905
NlmUniqueID: 1305440
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 511
Pages: 113365
PII: S0022-1759(22)00152-1

Researcher Affiliations

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • Animals
  • Dogs
  • Horses
  • Rats
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • COVID-19 / diagnosis
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Immunoglobulin G

Conflict of Interest Statement

Declaration of Competing Interest Silvina Sonia Bombicino, Aldana Trabucchi, Alexandra Marisa Targovnik, Federico Javier Wolman, Leonardo Gabriel Alonso, Matías Fingermann, Silvina Noemí Valdez, and María Victoria Miranda are career researchers of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de Argentina (CONICET). Ignacio Smith and Gregorio Juan Mc callum are research fellows of CONICET. Adriana Victoria Sabljic is a research fellow of UBA. Juan Ignacio Marfía and Rubén Francisco Iacono belong to the career of Professional Support of CONICET. All the authors declare that there is no conflict of interests.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
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