High Frequency of Prior Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection by Sensitive Nucleocapsid Assays

J Infect Dis. 2024 Sep 23;230(3):e601-e604. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiae174.

Abstract

Prior infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is typically measured by nucleocapsid serology assays. In this study, we show that the Simoa serology assay and T-cell intracellular cytokine staining assay are more sensitive than the clinical Elecsys assay for detection of nucleocapsid-specific immune responses. These data suggest that the prevalence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection in the population may be higher than currently appreciated.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; immunity; infection; nucleocapsid; serology.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • COVID-19 Serological Testing / methods
  • COVID-19* / diagnosis
  • COVID-19* / epidemiology
  • COVID-19* / immunology
  • Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins / immunology
  • Cytokines / blood
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nucleocapsid / immunology
  • SARS-CoV-2* / immunology
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins
  • Cytokines