Relative rates of non-pneumonic SARS coronavirus infection and SARS coronavirus pneumonia - PubMed (original) (raw)
. 2004 Mar 13;363(9412):841-5.
doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15729-2.
Susanna K P Lau, Hoi-wah Tsoi, Kwok-hung Chan, Beatrice H L Wong, Xiao-yan Che, Victoria K P Tam, Sidney C F Tam, Vincent C C Cheng, Ivan F N Hung, Samson S Y Wong, Bo-jian Zheng, Yi Guan, Kwok-yung Yuen
Affiliations
- PMID: 15031027
- PMCID: PMC7112439
- DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15729-2
Relative rates of non-pneumonic SARS coronavirus infection and SARS coronavirus pneumonia
Patrick C Y Woo et al. Lancet. 2004.
Abstract
Background: Although the genome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) has been sequenced and a possible animal reservoir identified, seroprevalence studies and mass screening for detection of subclinical and non-pneumonic infections are still lacking.
Methods: We cloned and purified the nucleocapsid protein and spike polypeptide of SARS-CoV and examined their immunogenicity with serum from patients with SARS-CoV pneumonia. An ELISA based on recombinant nucleocapsid protein for IgG detection was tested with serum from 149 healthy blood donors who donated 3 years previously and with serum positive for antibodies against SARS-CoV (by indirect immunofluorescence assay) from 106 patients with SARS-CoV pneumonia. The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV was studied with the ELISA in healthy blood donors who donated during the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong, non-pneumonic hospital inpatients, and symptom-free health-care workers. All positive samples were confirmed by two separate western-blot assays (with recombinant nucleocapsid protein and recombinant spike polypeptide).
Findings: Western-blot analysis showed that the nucleocapsid protein and spike polypeptide of SARS-CoV are highly immunogenic. The specificity of the IgG antibody test (ELISA with positive samples confirmed by the two western-blot assays) was 100%, and the sensitivity was 94.3%. Three of 400 healthy blood donors who donated during the SARS outbreak and one of 131 non-pneumonic paediatric inpatients were positive for IgG antibodies, confirmed by the two western-blot assays (total, 0.48% of our study population).
Interpretation: Our findings support the existence of subclinical or non-pneumonic SARS-CoV infections. Such infections are more common than SARS-CoV pneumonia in our locality.
Figures
Figure 1
Western-blot analysis of purified recombinant SARS-CoV nucleocapsid protein and purified recombinant SARS-CoV spike polypeptide Prominent immunoreactive protein bands of about 50kDa were visible for both antigens with serum from three patients with SARS-CoV pneumonia, indicating antigen–antibody interactions between the recombinant SARS-CoV nucleocapsid protein and the patients'antibodies (lanes 1–3). No immunoreactive band was detected for serum from three healthy blood donors (lanes 4–6).
Figure 2
ELISA based on recombinant nucleocapsid protein IgG antibody for SARS-CoV infection
Comment in
- Prevalence of non-pneumonic infections with SARS-correlated virus.
Yip CW, Hon CC, Zeng F, Chow KY, Leung FC. Yip CW, et al. Lancet. 2004 May 29;363(9423):1825; author reply 1826-7. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16311-3. Lancet. 2004. PMID: 15172784 Free PMC article. No abstract available. - Prevalence of non-pneumonic infections with SARS-correlated virus.
Theron M. Theron M. Lancet. 2004 May 29;363(9423):1825; author reply 1826-7. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16312-5. Lancet. 2004. PMID: 15172785 Free PMC article. No abstract available. - Prevalence of non-pneumonic infections with SARS-correlated virus.
Zhou YH. Zhou YH. Lancet. 2004 May 29;363(9423):1825-6; author reply 1826-7. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16313-7. Lancet. 2004. PMID: 15172786 No abstract available. - Prevalence of non-pneumonic infections with SARS-correlated virus.
Young M. Young M. Lancet. 2004 May 29;363(9423):1826; author reply 1826-7. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16314-9. Lancet. 2004. PMID: 15172787 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
References
- Ksiazek TG, Erdman D, Goldsmith CS. A novel coronavirus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1953–1966. - PubMed
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