False positive Herpes Simplex IgM serology in COVID-19 patients correlates with SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG seropositivity.
Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis
; 103(1): 115653, 2022 May.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1719595
ABSTRACT
Differentiating COVID-19 from other causes of viral pneumonia, like herpes simplex (HSV), can be complicated by shared clinical and laboratory features. Viral pneumonia is mostly diagnosed based on molecular or serological techniques. Serological immunoassay interferences, often attributed to concurrent appearance of heterologous (viral) immunoglobulins, is well-known, but has not been studied in COVID-19 patients. Following false positive HSV immunoglobulin M (IgM) results in our index patient, 25 other COVID-19 patients were tested for HSV-1/2 IgM with the chemiluminescent Liaison assay and Euroimmun enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Forty-five percent of COVID-19 patients tested positive for HSV IgM with Liaison. No HSV indices were positive with Euroimmun enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, suggesting immunoassay interference. Significant correlation between HSV IgM and SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG positivity was found. Adding 0.5% polyvinylpyrrolidone, inhibiting non-specific solid-phase adsorption, abolished interference in 22% of false positive cases, suggesting interference caused by solid-phase reactive IgM. Hence, serologic immunoassay results should be interpreted with caution in COVID-19 patients.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
COVID-19
/
Herpes Simplex
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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