0000000000173052
AUTHOR
Rosa Costa
SARS‐CoV‐2 N‐antigenemia in critically ill adult COVID‐19 patients: Frequency and association with inflammatory and tissue‐damage biomarkers
Abstract The current study aimed at characterizing the dynamics of SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleocapsid (N) antigenemia in a cohort of critically ill adult COVID‐19 patients and assessing its potential association with plasma levels of biomarkers of clinical severity and mortality. Seventy‐three consecutive critically ill COVID‐19 patients (median age, 65 years) were recruited. Serial plasma (n = 340) specimens were collected. A lateral flow immunochromatography assay and reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) were used for SARS‐CoV‐2 N protein detection and RNA quantitation and in plasma, respectively. Serum levels of inflammatory and tissue‐damage biomarkers in paired specimens were …
SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in the lower respiratory tract, viral RNAemia and N-antigenemia in critically ill adult COVID-19 patients: relationship with biomarkers of disease severity
ABSTRACTBackgroundLittle is known about the comparative kinetics of SARS-CoV-RNA load in the lower respiratory tract and in blood compartment in patients admitted to the intensive care unit, and how these relate to biomarkers of COVID-19 severity.MethodsSeventy-three consecutive critically ill COVID-19 patients (median age, 65 years) were recruited. Serial lower respiratory tract (n=165) and plasma (n=340) specimens were collected. RT-PCR and lateral flow immunochromatography assay were used for SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantitation and N protein detection in plasma, respectively. Serum levels of inflammatory and tissue-damage biomarkers in paired specimens were analyzed.ResultsSARS-CoV-RNA was detec…
Combined kinetic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia, N-antigenemia and virus-specific antibodies in critically ill adult COVID-19 patients
Combined kinetic analysis of plasma SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia, Nucleocapsid (N)-antigenemia and virus-specific antibodies may help ascertain the role of antibodies in preventing virus dissemination in COVID-19 patients. We performed this analysis in a cohort of 71 consecutive critically ill COVID-19 patients (49 male; median age, 65 years) using RT-PCR assay, lateral flow immunochromatography method and receptor binding domain (RBD) and N-based immunoassays. A total of 338 plasma specimens collected at a median of 12 days after symptoms onset were available for analyses. SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia and N-antigenemia were detected in 37 and 43 specimens from 26 (36.5%) and 30 (42.2%) patients, respectively.…
Initial viral load and decay kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7 in the upper respiratory tract of adults and children
We read with interest the systematic review published by Walsh et al. in the Journal of Infection,1 focusing on the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 RNA at the upper respiratory tract (URT). In this context, a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant lineage (B.1.1.7), first detected in the UK at the end of 2020 has transmission advantage over other lineages.2 Increased transmissibility of the B.1.1.7 variant has been linked to enhanced ACE2 affinity3 allegedly resulting in higher viral loads in URT, an observation that has been reported in some,3, 4, 5, 6 but not all7 large series published to date. In addition, longer duration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA shedding in URT has been reported in individuals infected by the B.1.1…
Suitability of two rapid lateral flow immunochromatographic assays for predicting SARS‐CoV‐2 neutralizing activity of sera
Purpose: Assessment of commercial SARS-CoV-2 immunoassays for their capacity to provide reliable information on sera neutralizing activity is an emerging need. We evaluated the performance of two commercially-available lateral flow immunochromatographic assays (LFIC) (Wondfo SARS-CoV-2 Antibody test and the INNOVITA 2019-nCoV Ab test) in comparison with a SARS-CoV-2 neutralization pseudotyped assay for COVID-19 diagnosis in hospitalized patients, and investigate whether the intensity of the test band in LFIC associates with neutralizing antibody (NtAb) titers. Patients and Methods: Ninety sera were included from 51 patients with moderate to severe COVID-19. A green fluorescent protein (GFP)…
Upper respiratory tract SARS-CoV-2 RNA loads in symptomatic and asymptomatic children and adults
ABSTRACTObjectivesThere is limited information comparing SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in the upper respiratory tract (URT) between children and adults, either presenting with COVID-19 or asymptomatic. Here we conducted a retrospective, single center study involving a large cohort of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals to address this issue.Patients and MethodsA total of 1,184 consecutive subjects (256 children and 928 adults) testing positive for SARS-COV-2 RNA in nasopharyngeal exudates (NP) were included, of whom 424 (121 children and 303 adults) had COVID-19 not requiring hospitalization and 760 (135 children and 625 adults) were asymptomatic close contacts of COVID-19 patients. SARS-CoV-2 RNA testin…