Development of in House ELISAs to Detect Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in Infected and Vaccinated Humans by Using Recombinant S, S1 and RBD Proteins.

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to produce in-house ELISAs which can be used to determine SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody levels directed against the spike protein (S), the S1 subunit of S and the receptor binding domain (RBD) of S in SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated and infected humans. (2) Methods: Three in-house ELISAs were developed by using recombinant proteins of SARS-CoV-2, namely the S, S1 and RBD proteins. Specificity and sensitivity evaluations of these tests were performed using sera from SARS-CoV-2-infected (n = 70) and SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated (n = 222; CoronaVac vaccine) humans in Istanbul, Turkey. The analyses for the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies were performed using the in-house ELISAs, a commercial ELISA (Abbott) and a commercial surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT). We also analyzed archival human sera (n = 50) collected before the emergence of COVID-19 cases in Turkey. (3) Results: The sensitivity of the in-house S, S1 and RBD ELISAs was found to be 88.44, 90.17 and 95.38%, while the specificity was 72.27, 89.08 and 89.92%, respectively, when compared to the commercial SARS-CoV-2 antibody test kit. The area under curve (AUC) values were 0.777 for the in-house S ELISA, 0.926 for the S1 ELISA, and 0.959 for the RBD ELISA. The kappa values were 0.62, 0.79 and 0.86 for the S, S1 and RBD ELISAs, respectively. (4) Conclusions: The in-house S1 and RBD ELISAs developed in this study have acceptable performance characteristics in terms of sensitivity, specificity, AUC and kappa values. In particular, the RBD ELISA seems viable to determine SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody levels, both in infected and vaccinated people, and help mitigate SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks and spread.

Maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection in our tertiary hospital

Objective: To evaluate clinical features, laboratory test results, and maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnant patients with the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Methods: We reviewed clinical data from pregnant women with a laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2, who were admitted to our university hospital in Türkiye. Demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory test results, and maternal and neonatal outcomes were collected. Results: A total of 46 pregnant women were included in this study. The mean maternal age was 28 (min. 21 - max. 39) years and gestational age was 31 (min. 26 - max. 41) weeks. Two (4.37%) pregnant women were vaccinated with 1 dose of BioNTech® vaccine, and all other patients were unvaccinated. Shortness of breath was the most common symptom present in 15 cases (32.6%). Twenty-seven (58.69%) pregnant women gave birth in the preterm period, and 19 (41.30%) in the term period. Six (13.04%) pregnant women were followed up in the Anesthesia Intensive Care Unit. Two women with critical COVID-19 died in the postpartum period. Conclusion: COVID-19 infection has negative consequences in terms of maternal and neonatal outcomes. The most common causes of adverse neonatal outcomes are iatrogenic or spontaneous preterm births, while the most common causes of adverse maternal outcomes are prolonged hospitalization time, increased likelihood of intensive care hospitalization, and maternal deaths. The most effective way to prevent this situation is to get vaccinated regardless of trimester. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical, virological, imaging and pathological findings in a SARS CoV-2 antibody positive cat.

This paper reports a presumptive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in a cat. A cat with respiratory disease living with three individuals with coronavirus disease 2019 showed bilateral ground-glass opacities in the lung on X-ray and computed tomography. The clinical swabs were negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, but the serum was positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Interstitial pneumonia and prominent type 2 pneumocyte hyperplasia were noted on histopathology. Respiratory tissues were negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA or antigen, but the cat was positive for feline parvovirus DNA. In conclusion, the respiratory disease and associated pathology in this cat could have been due to exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

Nadir Görülen COVID-19 Ílişkili Otoimmün Ensefalit: Olgu Sunumu

Amaç: Sars-CoV-2 akut respiratuvar distres sendromunun yanı sıra yüksek mortalite ile ilişkili ve oldukça nadir görülen otoimmün hastalığa da neden olabilir. Sinir sisteminin SARS-CoV-2 tarafından tutulumu kötü bir prognoz olup tanı ve klinik yönetimi karmaşıktır. Bu sunumda SARSCoV-2 ile bilateral simetrik bazal ganglion tutulumu olan olgunun klinik yönetimini literatür eşliğinde sunmayı amaçladık. Olgu: Özgeçmişinde hipertansiyon ve aort anevrizması operasyonu olan 48 yaşındaki erkek hasta, COVID-19 PCR pozitifliğinin 10. gününde;yemekte kaşığı bulamama, olmayan şeyleri arama, soruları anlamama ve sorulara aynı cümlelerle cevap verme şikayetleriyle acil servise başvurdu. Ínme ön tanısıyla pandemi servisine yatışı yapılarak, beyin bilgisayarlı tomografi (BBT) görüntülemesi yapılan hastanın, BBT sonucunda akut patolojiye rastlanılmadı. Takiplerinde letarji ve kooperasyon kısıtlılığı gelişmesi üzerine hastada progresyon düşünülüp yoğun bakım ünitesine (YBÜ) yatışı yapıldı. Ayırıcı tanı amaçlı lomber ponksiyon, beyin-diffüzyon MR tetkikleri yapıldı. Difüzyon MR ve ADC haritası sekanslarının her ikisinde de hiperintens görünüm olması nedeniyle, genellikle iskemik serebrovasküler olaylarda görülen sitotoksik ödemden uzaklaşıldı. Anatomik lokalizasyonlar ve klinik seyir dikkate alınarak viral ensefalit, otoimmün ensefalit gibi vazojenik ödem etkenleri düşünüldü (Şekil 1, 2, 3). BOS’deki viral panel sonuçlarının negatif gelmesi üzerine, diğer tanılar ekarte edilerek hastaya olası COVID-19 otoimmün ensefaliti tanısı koyuldu. Tedavisine yüksek doz metilprednizolon (500 mg/gün) eklendi. Tedavinin 5. gününde nörolojik tablosu tama yakın düzelen hasta servise devir edildi. Sonuç: COVID-19 ilişkili ARDS ile YBÜ’de takip edilen hastalarda sekonder otoimmün fenomen nedeniyle ciddi nörolojik komplikasyonların ortaya çıkabileceği de gösterilmiştir. Tanı için gerekli olan BOS’de SARS-CoV-2’ye karşı spesifik antikor testlerinin olmaması SARS-CoV-2 ilişkili otoimmün hastalıklarının tanısını zorlaştırmaktadır. Olgumuzda olası diğer durumlar ekarte edilerek tedaviye başlanmıştır. Tedaviye yanıt alınması üzerine klinik tanı geriye dönük olarak desteklenmiş olmuştur. Sonuç olarak farklı klinik prezentasyonlarla karşımıza çıkan COVID-19’da otoimmün ensefalit tanısı için SARS-CoV-2’ye karşı spesifik antikorların BOS’den tespiti gerekmekle birlikte klinik bulgular ve ayırıcı tanının dışlanmasıyla da tedavinin yönetilebileceği akılda tutulmalıdır. (Turkish) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Turkish Journal of Intensive Care is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Presence of Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in Domestic Cats in Istanbul, Turkey, Before and After COVID-19 Pandemic.

Recent studies demonstrated that domestic cats can be naturally and experimentally infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study was performed to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies within the domestic cat population in Istanbul, Turkey, before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, from 155 cat sera analyzed, 26.45% (41/155) tested positive in the spike protein-ELISA (S-ELISA), 28.38% (44/155) in the receptor-binding domain-ELISA (RBD-ELISA), and 21.9% (34/155) in both, the S- and RBD-ELISAs. Twenty-seven of those were also positive for the presence of antibodies to feline coronavirus (FCoV). Among the 34 SARS-CoV-2-positive sera, three of those were positive on serum neutralization assay. Six of the 30 cats before COVID-19 and 28 of the 125 cats during COVID-19 were found to be seropositive. About 20% of ELISA-positive cats exhibited mainly respiratory, gastrointestinal, and renal signs and skin lesions. Hematocrit, hemoglobin, white blood cells, lymphocyte, and platelet numbers were low in about 30% of ELISA-positive cats. The number of neutrophils and monocytes were above normal values in about 20% of ELISA-positive cats. The liver enzyme alanine aminotransferase levels were high in 23.5% ELISA-positive cats. In conclusion, this is the first report describing antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2 antigens (S and RBD) in cats in Istanbul, Turkey, indicating the risk for domestic cats to contract SARS-CoV-2 from owners and/or household members with COVID-19. This study and others show that COVID-19-positive pet owners should limit their contact with companion animals and that pets with respiratory signs should be monitored for SARS-CoV-2 infections.