Serology News and Research

RSS

Risk factors for rare COVID-19 complications in children (MIS-C)

While the earlier waves of COVID-19 relatively spared children, some of the affected children have developed a systemic inflammatory condition, with occasionally fatal outcomes. Called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), its pathogenesis and risk factors are the subject of a new study on the medRxiv* preprint server.

21 May 2021

Swiss study suggests very low prevalence of long COVID in pediatric population

Researchers from Switzerland recently analyzed long COVID symptoms in children and adolescents with a 6-month follow-up based on their SARS-CoV-2 serology. A longitudinal cohort analysis, the Ciao Corona study investigated SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and case clustering among ~2500 children from 55 primary and secondary schools in Zurich, Switzerland.

20 May 2021

FDA reminds the public about the limitations of COVID-19 antibody

The following quote is attributed to Tim Stenzel, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

20 May 2021

Presence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after 13 months of infection

A new study has been published on the medRxiv* preprint server which focuses on validating the serological assays using a large cohort of healthcare workers.

19 May 2021

New nanoimmunoassay can detect anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in ultralow-volume blood samples

In a recent study, researchers developed and validated a nanoimmunoassay (NIA) that analyzes 1,024 samples in parallel on a single microfluidic device the size of a USB stick. They detected anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, achieving a sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 100% based on an analysis of 134 pre-pandemic sera (collected in 2013/2014 and 2018) and 155 sera from reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive individuals.

10 May 2021

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Germany

Seroprevalence studies have proved their worth in estimating the size and directionality of an outbreak of infectious disease, especially the current pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A new study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server describes the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in five representative regions of Germany.

10 May 2021

Study examines SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in healthy young adults and risk of reinfection

New research has been published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, which focuses on evaluating the effect of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity on the possibility of developing SARS-CoV-2 infection in a young and healthy population. This study is based on the longitudinal prospective cohort study that involves the COVID-19 Health Action Response for Marines (CHARM).

20 Apr 2021

Commercial assays detect mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in most vaccinated participants

A recent study by researchers from Canada aimed to examine the ability of commercial assays to detect vaccine-induced antibodies and recognize the vaccination response.

12 Apr 2021

mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy provides passive SARS-CoV-2 immunity to neonates 16 days after first dose

Recently, a group of researchers analyzed 122 pregnant women and their neonates at the time of birth. All the women studied received 1 or both doses of a messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine for COVID-19. Of the 122 women part of the study, 55 had received only the first dose of the vaccine while 67 women had received both doses of the mRNA vaccine by the time they gave birth; 85 women had received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and 37 women received the Moderna vaccine. The study is published on the preprint server, bioRxiv.

11 Apr 2021

Does natural infection with SARS-CoV-2 offer more protection than a vaccine against new variants?

A new study demonstrates that vaccines may be less effective at countering the newer SARS-CoV-2 variants compared to natural infection.

9 Apr 2021

High SARS-CoV-2 attack rates linked to singing events

Now, a team of researchers from the Netherlands and Sweden demonstrates that airborne spread via infectious droplets or aerosols over longer distances of more than 1.5 meters due to singing is possible during singing events.

8 Apr 2021

FDA authorizes use of Symbiotica COVID-19 Self-Collected Antibody Test System

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it has issued an emergency use authorization for the Symbiotica COVID-19 Self-Collected Antibody Test System, the first antibody test authorized for use with home collected dried blood spot samples.

6 Apr 2021

Study investigates the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines over longer term

COVID-19 vaccines were designed to reduce the likelihood that infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus would lead to severe outcomes, such as hospitalization and death. In that sense, all of the currently approved vaccines -- Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson -- have proven comparably effective.

2 Apr 2021

Antibody tests, even rapid finger pricks, are effective COVID-19 screening tools

New findings from a Michigan Medicine study reveal that antibody testing is predictive of prior COVID-19 infection, and rapid screening methods - even from finger pricks - are effective testing tools.

31 Mar 2021

Scientists develop new method to estimate prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

In the study, which appeared on the pre-print server medRxiv*, the team also modeled the pandemic phases with exponential growth and decay. The model improves upon maximum likelihood estimates by conditioning on more data.

30 Mar 2021

Pilot study finds Bartonella infection in the blood of people with schizophrenia

A pilot study from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found evidence of Bartonella infection in the blood of people with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

23 Mar 2021

Is T-cell receptor sequencing a reliable alternative to SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing?

Researchers in the United States have now demonstrated that T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing might provide a reliable alternative to assessing infection in convalescent blood plasma, and may be applicable in the future for applying protective immunity to individuals.

23 Mar 2021

Researchers develop new method for measuring immunity to coronavirus

Igor Stagljar made his career building molecular tools to combat cancer. But when the pandemic hit last March, he aimed his expertise at a new adversary, SARS-CoV-2.

22 Mar 2021

Study addresses glycosylation concerns in SARS-CoV-2 vaccine design

An international team of researchers has found that glycosylation patterns are conserved across the native spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – and the recombinant spike proteins made in laboratories for use in vaccines.

11 Mar 2021

Single-dose of BNT162b2 vaccine may not be protective without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study by researchers at Imperial College London, UK, discusses the effect of a vaccine dose, specifically the BNT162b2 candidate (also known as the ‘Pfizer-BioNTech’ vaccine), on neutralizing antibody titers in individuals who have already been infected with the virus.

1 Mar 2021