COVID-19 Diagnosed by Serological Antibody Test: A Case Report

Abstract

The new coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first reported in Wuhan, China, is causing a pandemic. With an increased understanding of the disease, the diagnosis and treatment guidelines are being updated and improved. In addition to nucleic acid detection, antibody detection kits are also being developed and approved. A medical worker suspected of having COVID-19 in our hospital had fatigue and loss of appetite and pulmonary infection indicated by CT, but the nucleic acid test was negative three times. Finally, she was confirmed to have COVID-19 by a serological antibody test. After rest and oral antiviral treatment, she recovered and returned to work. This is a case report that focuses on suspected mild patients who tested negative for nucleic acids. Such a group of patients had to choose home isolation treatment during the outbreak. The majority of them did not make a definitive diagnosis or rule out COVID-19 by the time they recovered. The antibody test is of great significance to identify infected patients with multiple negative nucleic acid tests. It can complement nucleic acid testing to enhance diagnostic efficiency. We have reviewed the literature and realized that further validation and standardization of serological tests are needed for more mature application of antibody tests to clinical diagnosis and vaccine development.