Abstract
Antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2 has been established as a tool with broad utility in the surveillance and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, because of limited knowledge about the duration of humoral immunity to COVID-19 and the existence of unique individual immune responses, the potential role of antibody testing in the diagnosis of current and past infections of COVID-19 remains ambiguous. Herein, we describe a unique case of an asymptomatic patient showing a persistent positive total antibody test for SARS-CoV-2 while testing negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and IgG-specific antibodies. This case study shows how a combination of tests can be employed to identify a false positive and draw conclusions about a patient's COVID-19 status. It also highlights the complexity of using antibody testing for the diagnosis of COVID-19.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | E1-E3 |
Journal | Lab Medicine |
Volume | 53 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 6 2022 |
Keywords
- COVID-19
- SARS-CoV-2
- antibody
- diagnostics
- false positive
- testing
- Reproducibility of Results
- Pandemics
- Humans
- Immunoglobulin G
- COVID-19 Serological Testing
- COVID-19/diagnosis
- SARS-CoV-2/immunology
- RNA, Viral
- Antibodies, Viral/isolation & purification
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)