Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34943583›Full record

ArticleDiagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)2021

In-House Immunofluorescence Assay for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Antigens in Cells from Nasopharyngeal Swabs as a Diagnostic Method for COVID-19.

Athene Hoi-Ying Lam, Jian-Piao Cai, Ka-Yi Leung, Ricky-Ruiqi Zhang, Danlei Liu, Yujing Fan, Anthony Raymond Tam, Vincent Chi-Chung Cheng, Kelvin Kai-Wang To, Kwok-Yung Yuen and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 45% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. 'CoviSwiftJournal of virological methods · 2023
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Imaging Techniques: Essential Tools for the Study of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Athene Hoi-Ying LamDepartment of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.ORCID 0000-0002-1678-9611
Jian-Piao CaiDepartment of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.ORCID 0000-0003-4077-3852
Ka-Yi LeungDepartment of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.ORCID 0000-0002-5490-9311
Ricky-Ruiqi ZhangDepartment of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4859-3445
Danlei LiuDepartment of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Yujing FanDepartment of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Anthony Raymond TamDepartment of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
Vincent Chi-Chung ChengDepartment of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hospital Authority, Hong Kong, China.
Kelvin Kai-Wang ToDepartment of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Kwok-Yung YuenDepartment of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Ivan Fan-Ngai HungDepartment of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.ORCID 0000-0002-1556-2538
Kwok-Hung ChanDepartment of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.ORCID 0000-0003-1771-8249
University of Hong Kong · HKHospital Authority · HKQueen Mary Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Immunofluorescence is a traditional diagnostic method for respiratory viruses, allowing rapid, simple and accurate diagnosis, with specific benefits of direct visualization of antigens-of-interest and quality assessment. This study aims to evaluate the potential of indirect immunofluorescence as an in-house diagnostic method for SARS-CoV-2 antigens from nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS). Three primary antibodies raised from mice were used for immunofluorescence staining, including monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV nucleocapsid protein, and polyclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein and receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Smears of cells from NPS of 29 COVID-19 patients and 20 non-infected individuals, and cells from viral culture were stained by the three antibodies. Immunofluorescence microscopy was used to identify respiratory epithelial cells with positive signals. Polyclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2 N protein had the highest sensitivity and specificity among the three antibodies tested, detecting 17 out of 29 RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases and demonstrating no cross-reactivity with other tested viruses except SARS-CoV. Detection of virus-infected cells targeting SARS-CoV-2 N protein allow identification of infected individuals, although accuracy is limited by sample quality and number of respiratory epithelial cells. The potential of immunofluorescence as a simple diagnostic method was demonstrated, which could be applied by incorporating antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 into multiplex immunofluorescence panels used clinically, such as for respiratory viruses, thus allowing additional routine testing for diagnosis and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 even after the epidemic has ended with low prevalence of COVID-19.

Indexed as

COVID-19detection of SARS-CoV-2immunofluorescence assaynasopharyngeal swabs

Identifiers

PMID34943583
PMCPMC8700487
OpenAlexW4200286300

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.