| Title: |
Evaluation of QuantiFERON SARS-CoV-2 interferon-γ release assay following SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination |
| Authors: |
Johnson, Síle A; Phillips, Eloise; Adele, Sandra; Longet, Stephanie; Malone, Tom; Mason, Chris; Stafford, Lizzie; Jamsen, Anni; Gardiner, Siobhan; Deeks, Alexandra; Neo, Janice; Blurton, Emily J; White, Jemima; Ali, Muhammed; Kronsteiner, Barbara; Wilson, Joseph D; Skelly, Dónal T; Jeffery, Katie; Conlon, Christopher P; Goulder, Philip; Consortium, PITCH; Carroll, Miles; Barnes, Eleanor; Klenerman, Paul; Dunachie, Susanna J |
| Contributors: |
UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium; Huo Family Foundation; National Institute for Health Research; U.S. Food and Drug Administration |
| Source: |
Clinical and Experimental Immunology ; volume 212, issue 3, page 249-261 ; ISSN 0009-9104 1365-2249 |
| Publisher Information: |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
| Publication Year: |
2023 |
| Description: |
T cells are important in preventing severe disease from SARS-CoV-2, but scalable and field-adaptable alternatives to expert T-cell assays are needed. The interferon-gamma release assay QuantiFERON platform was developed to detect T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 from whole blood with relatively basic equipment and flexibility of processing timelines. Forty-eight participants with different infection and vaccination backgrounds were recruited. Whole blood samples were analysed using the QuantiFERON SARS-CoV-2 assay in parallel with the well-established ‘Protective Immunity from T Cells in Healthcare workers’ (PITCH) ELISpot, which can evaluate spike-specific T-cell responses. The primary aims of this cross-sectional observational cohort study were to establish if the QuantiFERON SARS-Co-V-2 assay could discern differences between specified groups and to assess the sensitivity of the assay compared with the PITCH ELISpot. The QuantiFERON SARS-CoV-2 distinguished acutely infected individuals (12–21 days post positive PCR) from naïve individuals (P < 0.0001) with 100% sensitivity and specificity for SARS-CoV-2 T cells, whilst the PITCH ELISpot had reduced sensitivity (62.5%) for the acute infection group. Sensitivity with QuantiFERON for previous infection was 12.5% (172–444 days post positive test) and was inferior to the PITCH ELISpot (75%). Although the QuantiFERON assay could discern differences between unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals (55–166 days since second vaccination), the latter also had reduced sensitivity (44.4%) compared to the PITCH ELISpot (66.6%). The QuantiFERON SARS-CoV-2 assay showed potential as a T- cell evaluation tool soon after SARS-CoV-2 infection but has lower sensitivity for use in reliable evaluation of vaccination or more distant infection. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| DOI: |
10.1093/cei/uxad027 |
| DOI: |
10.1093/cei/uxad027/50036657/uxad027.pdf |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.1093/cei/uxad027; https://academic.oup.com/cei/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/cei/uxad027/50036657/uxad027.pdf; https://academic.oup.com/cei/article-pdf/212/3/249/50518468/uxad027.pdf |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.EDC20CE3 |
| Database: |
BASE |