A Novel Anti-nucleocapsid Antibody Avidity Method for Identifying SARS-CoV-2 Reinfections.

Golding, Liam; Watts, Allison W; Shew, Jacob; Viñeta Paramo, Marina; Mâsse, Louise C; Goldfarb, David M; Abu-Raya, Bahaa; Lavoie, Pascal M.

Affiliation

Golding L; British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Watts AW; Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Shew J; British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Viñeta Paramo M; British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Mâsse LC; Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Goldfarb DM; British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Abu-Raya B; Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Lavoie PM; Women+ and Children's Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

J Infect Dis ; 2024 Mar 05.

Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38442331

ABSTRACT

Detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reinfections is challenging with current serology assays and is further complicated by the marked decrease in routine viral testing practices as viral transmission increased during Omicron. Here, we provide proof-of-principle that high-avidity anti-nucleocapsid (N) antibodies detects reinfections after a single infection with higher specificity (85%; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 80%-90%) compared to anti-N antibody levels (72%; 95% CI, 66%-79%) in a vaccinated cohort. This method could be used to retroactively investigate the epidemiology and incremental long-term health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections.

Key words

COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; avidity; nucleocapsid; reinfection; serology