title: Evaluation of a recombinant nucleocapsid protein-based assay for anti-SARS-CoV IgG detection.
abstract: A high throughput accurate assay for anti-SARS-CoV IgG detection is needed for large-scale epidemiological studies. The evaluation of a commercial recombinant nucleocapsid protein-based microtitre plate enzyme immunoassay, ELISARS is described. The results on 150 sera from SARS patients and 450 sera from non-SARS controls showed that this assay had a high level of sensitivity (96.2% for late serum samples) and specificity (97.8%). The performance and setup of this assay fulfills the requirement as a screening test for large-scale studies. A vast majority of SARS patients developed antibodies against the nucleocapsid protein. In some patients (10/45), a high level of anti-nucleocapsid antibody appeared very early in the course of the illness. In contrast, a minority (4 of 105 patients) never developed these antibodies. The implication of differences in antibody response to the nucleocapsid protein deserves further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China. paulkschan@cuhk.edu.hk
authors.forename: Paul K S
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Esther Y M
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Danny T M
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Jo L K
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Frankie C H
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Tam
authors.forename: Mamie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tam
authors.forename: Pak Leong
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins