Serology of severe acute respiratory syndrome: implications for surveillance and outcome.
BACKGROUND
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a novel infectious disease. No information is currently available on host-specific immunity against the SARS coronavirus (CoV), and detailed characteristics of the epidemiology of SARS CoV infection have not been identified.


METHODS
ELISA was used to detect antibody to SARS CoV. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to detect SARS CoV RNA. T cells in peripheral blood of patients were quantified by flow cytometry.


RESULTS
Of 36 patients with probable SARS CoV infection, 30 (83.3%) were positive for IgG antibody to SARS CoV; in contrast, only 3 of 48 patients with suspected SARS CoV infection, 0 of 112 patients with fever but without SARS, and 0 of 96 healthy control individuals were positive for it. IgG antibody to SARS CoV was first detected between day 5 and day 47 after onset of illness (mean +/- SD, 18.7+/-10.4).


CONCLUSIONS
Detection of antibody to SARS CoV is useful in the diagnosis of SARS; however, at the incubation and initial phases of the illness, serological assay is of little value, because of late seroconversion in most patients.
Chen
Xinchun
X
Shenzhen Municipal Hospital of Infectious Disease, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China. chenxinchun@hotmail.com.
Zhou
Boping
B
Li
Meizhong
M
Liang
Xiaorong
X
Wang
Huosheng
H
Yang
Guilin
G
Wang
Hui
H
Le
Xiaohua
X
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008297:Male; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D012367:RNA, Viral