Reasons and solutions for 'false positive results' of 2019 Novel Coronavirus-specific antibodies detection/ 中华检验医学杂志

Abstract

Assays of specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) have been supplemented in "diagnosis and treatment guidelines of Novel Coronavirus pneumonia" (7th edition) issued by National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China as an auxiliary evidence to diagnose Novel Coronavirus pneumonia. However, the false positive results is a major problem in the application of antibody assays. The factors causing the false positive results were analyzed and the ways were discussed to reduce the false positive results. The false positive results of antibody assays can be reduced, but they cannot be fully resolved. Antibody assays are valuable criteria for the diagnosis of suspected cases with negative nucleic acid results only if at least two dynamic tests are used. Key words: Coronavirus; Immunoglobulin M; Immunoglobulin G; False positive reactions