New saliva-based COVID antibody test is very accurate, Johns Hopkins study finds – CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) – A new saliva-based COVID-19 antibody test is very accurate, according to an early study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The test detects the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, from small samples of saliva.

The results can be obtained within a few hours and could be an alternative to blood tests for antibodies.

“If the accuracy of our saliva-based test is confirmed in larger studies, this non-invasive approach could facilitate the identification, at the population level, of those who have previously had a SARS-CoV infection. 2 and where the winter and beyond, ”said Christopher D. Heaney, lead author of the study, PhD, MS, associate professor with appointments in the departments of environmental health and engineering, epidemiology and international health at Bloomberg School.

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“This could inform targeted vaccination efforts and, after vaccine deployment begins, help determine the lifespan of vaccine-induced antibodies, all without repeated invasive blood draws,” Heaney added.

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Here’s how the test works according to Hopkins:

The test is based on several fragments, or “antigens”, of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, mainly its outer peak and its core proteins. In the study, the researchers found that their test detected antibodies to several of these antigens in saliva samples from 24 participants who had confirmed exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and whose symptoms started more than two weeks ago. before the test. The test also reliably gave negative results for saliva samples taken from people before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study was published online in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

Learn more about the test here.

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