Antibody testing for COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought humankind to a stop. COVID-19 has opened new spectrums of infection and virus-host interactions. The second wave hit the country when the vaccination program was already in motion. The population consists of individuals with single, double, or no jab at all. The government has started the registration for vaccination of people over 18 years. All across the globe, people are working at a fast pace to develop the best vaccine to counter the resurgence of COVID infections. Countries are grappling with the idea of getting their population vaccinated. The goal is to provide long-term immunity against COVID-19 and its various mutants.
In COVID-19 infection, the trigger of antibodies starts with the production of IgA and IgM. After the eighth day, the viral load decreases, and then antibodies develop. These antibodies are critical markers in understanding the immune development in an individual. Testing of antibodies is ideal for serosurveillance and seroprevalence. COVID-19 infected individuals would develop anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) IgG. This will help in developing immunity. Vaccination produces Neutralizing Antibodies to Spike-ACE2 receptor. It also develops humoral immunity in an individual. Neutralizing Antibodies help in forming passive immunity of an individual. It provides short-term immunity to a healthy individual against disease. This can happen from mothers to babies by breastfeeding, passing all the natural antibodies, or through a vaccination program. Neutralizing Antibodies (or Late arriving IgG) are key to address the reduction of virus capture and spread of infection. These antibodies halt the virus from attaching to the host cell. The prevalence of these antibodies (in High Titer) determines the following:
if the individual has good humoral immunity, if they can donate convalescent plasma and if the vaccination is successful.
NAb(s) provide no cross-reactivity with any other coronavirus infections. These antibodies help in segregating patients between mild, moderate, and severe categories. Hence they act as an advanced diagnostic marker against the resurgence of COVID infections in the country.
J Mitra & Co. has risen to the hour of need and developed the COVID-19 Antibody ELISA kits (IgM+IgG+IgA kit and Kawach kit). These kits help in serosurveillance and assessing the situation in the post-vaccination scenario. J Mitra & Co. has also launched the COVID-19 Neutralizing Antibody Microlisa Test. It is the first commercial laboratory test to detect neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. This kit works on the Blocking ELISA principle and is approved by CDSCO and DCGI with a Sensitivity and Specificity of 95% and 100%. J Mitra & Co. already has a state-of-the-art R&D and manufacturing unit. The production of new generation kits in record time is a testament to making the country more self-reliant. J Mitra & Co. stands committed to win the battle against COVID.