[Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal, full page: (LINK). Abstract, edited.]
Volume 25, Number 10—October 2019 / Research
Comparison of Serologic Assays for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
Ruth Harvey, Giada Mattiuzzo , Mark Hassall, Andrea Sieberg, Marcel A. Müller, Christian Drosten, Peter Rigsby, Christopher J. Oxenford, and study participants
Author affiliations: National Institute for Biological Standards and Control—MHRA, Potters Bar, UK (R. Harvey, G. Mattiuzzo, M. Hassall, P. Rigsby); Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany (A. Sieberg, M.A. Müller, C. Drosten); Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin (A. Sieberg, M.A. Müller, C. Drosten); Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin (A. Sieberg, M.A. Müller, C. Drosten); German Centre for Infection Research, Berlin (M.A. Müller, C. Drosten); World Health Organization, Lyon, France (C.J. Oxenford).
Abstract
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was detected in humans in 2012. Since then, sporadic outbreaks with primary transmission through dromedary camels to humans and outbreaks in healthcare settings have shown that MERS-CoV continues to pose a threat to human health. Several serologic assays for MERS-CoV have been developed globally. We describe a collaborative study to investigate the comparability of serologic assays for MERS-CoV and assess any benefit associated with the introduction of a standard reference reagent for MERS-CoV serology. Our study findings indicate that, when possible, laboratories should use a testing algorithm including >2 tests to ensure correct diagnosis of MERS-CoV. We also demonstrate that the use of a reference reagent greatly improves the agreement between assays, enabling more consistent and therefore more meaningful comparisons between results.
–
Keywords: MERS-CoV; Serology; Diagnostic tests.
——
