Clinical Performance of a Standardized Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Interferon-? Release Assay for Simple Detection of T-Cell Responses After Infection or Vaccination

Background. We evaluated a standardized interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) release assay (IGRA) for detection of T-cell immune response after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection or vaccination. Methods. This prospective study included patients with coronavirus disease 20...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Fernandez-Gonzalez, M, Agullo, V, Padilla, S, Garcia, JA, Garcia-Abellan, J, Botella, A, Mascarell, P, Ruiz-Garcia, M, Masia, M, Gutierrez, F
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (FISABIO)
Repositorio:r-FISABIO. Repositorio Institucional de Producción Científica
OAI Identifier:oai:fisabio.fundanetsuite.com:p13567
Acceso en línea:https://fisabio.portalinvestigacion.com/publicaciones/13567
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:interferon-gamma release assay
COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
T-cell response
IGRA
Descripción
Sumario:Background. We evaluated a standardized interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) release assay (IGRA) for detection of T-cell immune response after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection or vaccination. Methods. This prospective study included patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with different severity of illness and follow-up (FU), vaccinated subjects, and healthy unvaccinated persons. SARS-CoV-2 T-cell response was measured using a specific quantitative IGRA in whole blood (Euroimmun, Germany) and TrimericS-IgG and neutralizing antibodies with validated serological platforms. Positivity of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or vaccination was considered as the reference standard. Results. A total of 239 individuals were included (152 convalescent, 54 vaccinated, and 33 uninfected unvaccinated). Overall sensitivity, specificity, and positive- and negative-predictive values (95% confidence interval) of the IGRA were 81.1% (74.9-86%), 90.9% (74.5-97.6%), 98.2% (94.5-99.5%), and 43.5% (31.8-55.9%), respectively. All vaccinated SARS-CoV-2-naive subjects had positive IGRA at 3 months. In convalescent subjects the magnitude of IFN-gamma responses and IGRA accuracy varied according to disease severity and duration of FU, with the best performance in patients with severe COVID-19 at 3 months and the worst in those with mild disease at 12 months. The greatest contribution of IGRA to serological tests was observed in patients with mild disease and long-term FU (incremental difference, 30.4%). Conclusions. The IGRA was a reliable method of quantifying T-cell response after SARS-COV-2 infection or vaccination. In convalescent patients, the sensitivity is largely dependent on disease severity and time since primary infection. The assay is more likely to add clinical value to serology in patients with mild infections.