Interferon-γ Release Assay for Accurate Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 T-Cell Response

Kanagavel Murugesan; Prasanna Jagannathan; Tho D Pham; Suchitra Pandey; Hector F Bonilla; Karen Jacobson; Julie Parsonnet; Jason R Andrews; Daniela Weiskopf; Alessandro Sette; Benjamin A Pinsky; Upinder Singh; Niaz Banaei

doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa1537

Interferon-γ Release Assay for Accurate Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 T-Cell Response

Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Nov 2;73(9):e3130-e3132. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1537.

Authors

Kanagavel Murugesan¹, Prasanna Jagannathan², Tho D Pham^{1

3}, Suchitra Pandey^{1

3}, Hector F Bonilla², Karen Jacobson², Julie Parsonnet², Jason R Andrews², Daniela Weiskopf⁴, Alessandro Sette^{4

5}, Benjamin A Pinsky^{1

2

6}, Upinder Singh², Niaz Banaei^{1

2

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
² Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
³ Stanford Blood Center, Stanford Health Care, Stanford, California, USA.
⁴ Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA.
⁵ Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
⁶ Clinical Virology Laboratory, Stanford Health Care, Stanford, California, USA.
⁷ Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Stanford Health Care, Stanford, California, USA.

Abstract

We investigated feasibility and accuracy of an interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) for detection of T-cell responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Whole blood IGRA accurately distinguished between convalescent and uninfected healthy blood donors with a predominantly CD4+ T-cell response. SARS-CoV-2 IGRA may serve as a useful diagnostic tool in managing the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Keywords: IGRA; SARS-CoV-2; T cells; immune response; interferon-γ release assay.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Antibodies, Viral
COVID-19*
Humans
Interferon-gamma Release Tests*
SARS-CoV-2
T-Lymphocytes

Substances

Antibodies, Viral

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding