Scientists are making rapid progress on Coronavirus which is great news! How are our healthcare workers testing for coronavirus? There are two main tests for COVID-19 which are a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and a serological test. The PCR test requires scientists to collect cells from a patient’s throat or nasal passage to detect presence of the virus’ genetic RNA material. The serology test looks for the patient’s immune response to COVID-19 detecting antibodies. Today, I want to focus mainly on the PCR test and look at the antibody responses.
Antibodies are proteins throughout our body that help us fight off disease. Why is antibody testing important for COVID-19? Well, this testing can identify those that have developed immunity to the virus. It can show if a person was positive for coronavirus and has recovered, or if they were simply asymptomatic and never had symptoms. An antibody titer is a test that is used to measure the levels of antibodies in a person’s blood. For COVID-19, this is the PCR test. If scientists are able to measure the amount and what specific type of antibodies are being made, then they are able to if you have been infected. So far, antibody tests are showing that the immune response for COVID-19 peaks at around 4 months.
The information I am about to share can be pretty confusing. I want to explain such antibody responses and how they can help us fight off and detect COVID-19. When a virus or bacterium enters the body, the immune system first begins producing IgM antibodies. After a certain amount of time, the body begins generating IgG antibodies. Then, when the body is exposed to the same infection at another time, the body can respond faster to the infecting agent. When IgG levels begin to rise, IgM levels will drop. When a person’s blood shows only IgM antibody titers, that means that there was a recent exposure to a foreign substance. If a person’s test indicates that they primarily have an IgG antibody titer, this means they have been exposed to the pathogen in the past. Therefore, if we could determine who was IgG positive, that would mean that they had, in this case, COVID-19 before. An IgG positive person can potentially transmit disease to others through the blood. I am proud of scientists and researchers across our nation! They are working hard to understand and get rid of this virus!
Carly's Blog 