We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App





Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Blood Antigen Levels Can Predict Clinical Outcomes of COVID-19 Patients

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 02 Sep 2022

The amount of SARS-CoV-2 antigen measured in the blood of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 is associated with illness severity and other clinical outcomes, according to a new study. More...

Following the ACTIV-3 trial of COVID-19 therapeutics in people hospitalized with COVID-19, researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA), and their collaborators analyzed levels of SARS-COV-2 antigen in blood samples taken from study participants and assessed the association of those levels with disease progression. Higher levels of viral antigen in the blood, which could indicate ongoing SARS-CoV-2 replication, correlated with more severe disease. The researchers suggest that SARS-CoV-2 antigen levels hold promise as a biomarker, or a measurable substance, to predict which patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have a higher risk of worse outcomes.

The ACTIV-3 trial enrolled people hospitalized with COVID-19 between August 2020 and November 2021. Participants contributed a baseline blood sample and were then randomized to receive either an experimental COVID-19 therapeutic or a placebo. All participants received the antiviral remdesivir unless contraindicated. In this follow-up analysis, the researchers examined 2,540 participant baseline blood samples for SARS-CoV-2 antigen levels. The researchers assessed the relationship between each participant’s SARS-CoV-2 blood antigen levels and their time to discharge from the hospital, as well as their pulmonary symptoms at day five of the trial - whether they had stayed the same, worsened, or improved since enrollment.

With all this information in hand, the researchers conducted statistical analyses to determine if plasma antigen levels were associated with the participants’ pulmonary function when they gave the blood sample - and whether they could predict how the participants would fare over time. In addition, the researchers examined the relationship between a number of participant and viral characteristics and antigen levels. The analysis revealed a strong correlation between higher SARS-CoV-2 antigen levels (≥1000 nanograms per liter) and worse pulmonary function at the time of enrollment. Importantly, participants with higher SARS-CoV-2 antigen levels in the blood at enrollment generally had decreased pulmonary function at day five, regardless of the severity of their illness at the time of study entry, and took longer to be released from the hospital.

High blood antigen levels also correlated with some known risk factors for worse illness, such as being male. Three additional participant characteristics were found to correlate with lower antigen levels: the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, exposure to remdesivir prior to enrollment and longer time in hospital prior to enrollment. Finally, participants infected with the delta variant had higher antigen levels than those infected with prior circulating strains. The researchers concluded that antigen levels in the blood are likely a marker of ongoing viral replication and could be useful for predicting a patient’s disease progression and likely outcomes once they are admitted to the hospital. The researchers note that these results suggest that a precision medicine approach could be helpful in future clinical trials of antiviral therapy. For instance, antigen levels could help determine those patients most likely to benefit from therapies directed at fighting the virus.

Related Links:
National Institutes of Health 


Gold Member
Multiplex Genetic Analyzer
MassARRAY Dx Analyzer (Europe only)
3-Part Differential Hematology Analyzer
Swelab Alfa Plus Sampler
New
Automated Biochemical Analyzer
iBC 900
New
PSA Assay
CanAg PSA EIA
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more

Pathology

view channel
These images illustrate how precision oncology Organ Chips recapitulate individual patients’ responses to chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Wyss Institute at Harvard University)

Cancer Chip Accurately Predicts Patient-Specific Chemotherapy Response

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), one of the two primary types of esophageal cancer, ranks as the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and currently lacks effective targeted therapies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.