Multiplexed Serum Antibody Screening Platform Using Virus Extracts from Endemic Coronaviridae and SARS-CoV-2

Multiplexed Serum Antibody Screening Platform Using Virus Extracts from Endemic Coronaviridae and SARS-CoV-2
Fink S., Ruoff F., Stahl A., Becker M., Kaiser P., Traenkle B., Junker D., Weise F., Ruetalo N., Hörber S., Peter A., Nelde A., Walz j., Krause G., Baillot A., Schenke-Layland K., Joos TO., Rothbauer U., Schneiderhan-Marra N., Schindler M., Templin MF
ACS Infectious Diseases 2021; https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00725.

The presence of antibodies against endemic coronaviruses has been linked to disease severity after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Assays capable of concomitantly detecting antibodies against endemic coronaviridae such as OC43, 229E, NL63, and SARS-CoV-2 may help to elucidate this question. We developed a serum screening platform using a bead-based Western blot system called DigiWest, capable of running hundreds of assays using microgram amounts of protein prepared directly from different viruses. Characterization of the immunoassay for detection of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies revealed a sensitivity of 90.3% and a diagnostic specificity of 98.1%. Concordance analysis with the SARS-CoV-2 immunoassays available by Roche, Siemens, and Euroimmun indicates comparable assay performances (Cohen's κ ranging from 0.8874 to 0.9508). Analogous assays for OC43, 229E, and NL63 were established and combined into one multiplex with the SARS-CoV-2 assay. Seroreactivity for different coronaviruses was detected with high incidence, and the multiplex assay was adapted for serum screening.