Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the performance of the T-SPOT.COVID test for identifying SARS-CoV-2-responsive T-cells in participants with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Methods: The T-SPOT.COVID test uses ELISpot interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) methodology to measure T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike S1 and nucleocapsid peptides. T-SPOT.COVID and anti-N immunoglobulin (Ig) G serology tests were performed on blood from 186 patients with nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT)-confirmed-SARS-CoV-2 infection and 100 control group participants.
Results: In the 2-8 weeks after NAAT-diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infection, the T-SPOT.COVID test detected 98.4% (63 of 64) of infected participants, while anti-N IgG serology detected 82.8%. In the first 2 weeks after diagnosis, during adaptive immune response activation, there were less reactive T-SPOT.COVID responses (75.7%, 28 of 37 infected participants) and many less seropositive responses (32.4%). Response numbers tapered after 8 weeks; however, T-SPOT.COVID test continued to detect most participants with confirmed infection (83.6%, 56 of 67) and continued to out-perform serology (52.2%). T-SPOT.COVID response due to cross-reactive T cells was ruled out by demonstrating that, of 44 control group participants with T cells responsive to 4 human common cold coronavirus peptides, only 1 was T-SPOT.COVID reactive.
Conclusion: The T-SPOT.COVID test performed well in detecting SARS-CoV-2-sensitized T-cells over many months.
Keywords: COVID-19; IGRA; SARS-CoV-2; T-SPOT.COVID; interferon-gamma release assay; serology.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, serology, interferon-gamma release assay, IGRA, T-SPOT.COVID, 【초록키워드】 coronavirus, serology, T cells, SARS-COV-2 infection, T-cells, Infection, interferon, Diagnosis, nucleic acid, T cell, Immunoglobulin, nucleocapsid, NAAT, response, T cell responses, Patient, peptides, serology test, ELISPOT, methodology, common cold, nucleic acid amplification test, T-cell, Adaptive immune response, nucleic acid amplification, seropositive, T cell response, Blood, SARS-CoV-2 spike, anti-N IgG, cross-reactive, Activation, Participants, control group, participant, common cold coronavirus, reactive, performed, detect, evaluate, less, participants with SARS-CoV-2, 【제목키워드】 performance,