Detection of antibodies signaling initial COVID-19 infection found in unvaccinated and vaccinated blood donors, study reports. Newly published research in Emerging Infectious Diseases journal sheds light on immune response to virus.

Serologic tests play a crucial role in detecting SARS-CoV-2 infections and determining vaccination efficacy.

Serosurveillance studies in the United States have shown high rates of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the population, necessitating robust detection methods for infections in vaccinated individuals and reinfections.
The National Blood Donor Cohort (NBDC) study monitored infection incidence and seroprevalence in blood donors, classifying them based on infection and vaccination status.
Studies have shown reduced sensitivity of nucleocapsid antibody serologic tests in vaccinated persons compared to unvaccinated persons, impacting the detection of previous infections.
Revised cutoffs for nucleocapsid antibody assays were derived to increase sensitivity for detecting infections after vaccination, with minimal improvement observed.
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 infections was found to be robust in both vaccinated and unvaccinated donors, with good durability of nucleocapsid antibody detection for over a year post-infection.

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