Clinical Pathology - Research Publications

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A dual antigen ELISA allows the assessment of SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence in a low transmission setting

Hicks, S ; Pohl, K ; Neeman, T ; McNamara, H ; Parsons, K ; He, J-S ; Ali, S ; Nazir, S ; Rowntree, L ; Nguyen, T ; Kedzierska, K ; Doolan, D ; Vinueas, C ; Cook, M ; Coatsworth, N ; Myles, P ; Kurth, F ; Sander, L ; Mann, G ; Gruen, R ; George, A ; Gardiner, E ; Cockburn, I ; the SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Elective Surgery Collaborators, (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 2020)

Estimates of seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies have been hampered by inadequate assay sensitivity and specificity. Using an ELISA-based approach to that combines data about IgG responses to both the Nucleocapsid and Spike-receptor binding domain antigens, we show that near-optimal sensitivity and specificity can be achieved. We used this assay to assess the frequency of virus-specific antibodies in a cohort of elective surgery patients in Australia and estimated seroprevalence in Australia to be 0.28% (0 to 0.72%). These data confirm the low level of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Australia before July 2020 and validate the specificity of our assay.