Antibody False Positivity Among COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Donors: A Comparative Study from the Turkish Red Crescent Blood Center

Hayat, Levent; Beker, Can Murat; Karaca, Aziz; Hafizoglu, Nurettin; Kınık, Kerem; Yılmaz, Fatma Meriç

doi:10.4274/haseki.galenos.2021.7383

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This study adds support to previous publications reporting an increase in HIV false-positive results during and after COVID-19 pandemic [10–14] and gives support to consider SARS CoV-2 infection among possible causes of false-positive ELISA results, as they exhibited the same rate observed in other conditions not linked to the HIV infection [5]. The reporting of this finding is crucial to inform health authorities and should be dispersed along with virology testing providers.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Increased risk of false-positive HIV ELISA results after COVID-19

Alfie

Longueira

Pippo

et al. 2023

Aids

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: From the first-generation options available in 1985, tests to detect HIV-1 specific antibodies have increased its sensitivity and specificity. HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 surface glycoproteins present a certain degree of homology and shared epitope motifs, which results of relevance as both pandemics coexist. Here, we aimed to evaluate the rate of false-positive HIV serology results among individuals with COVID-19 diagnosis and in vaccinated individuals. Design: A retrospective analysis of the samples stored at the Infectious Disease Biobank in Argentina from donors with previous COVID-19 diagnosis or anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Methods: Plasma samples were analyzed using Genscreen Ultra HIV Ag-Ab. In those with a positive result, the following assays were also performed: ELISA lateral flow Determine Early Detect; RecomLine HIV-1 & HIV-2 IgG and Abbott m2000 RealTime PCR for HIV-1 viral load quantification. In all samples, the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies was evaluated by ELISA using the COVIDAR kit. Statistical analysis was done using Pearson's and Fisher's exact chi-squared test; Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Results: Globally, the false-positive HIV ELISA rate was 1.3% [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.66–2.22; χ 2 = 4.68, P = 0.03, when compared with the expected 0.4% false-positive rate]. It increased to 1.4% (95% CI 0.70–2.24, χ 2 = 5.16, P = 0.02) when only samples from individuals with previous COVID-19 diagnosis, and to 1.8% (95% CI 0.91–3.06, χ 2 = 7.99, P = 0.005) when only individuals with detectable IgG SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were considered. Conclusion: This higher occurrence of HIV false-positive results among individuals with detectable antibodies against Spike SARS-CoV-2 protein should be dispersed among virology testing settings, health providers, and authorities.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…HIV and SARS-CoV surface glycoproteins present a certain degree of homology and shared epitope motifs [9]. Indeed, there have been several reports in 2020 and 2021 of false-positive results in HIV screening assays in individuals with acute or past SARS CoV-2 infection [10][11][12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increased risk of false-positive HIV ELISA results after COVID-19

Alfie

Longueira

Pippo

et al. 2023

Aids

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The work of other researchers linked an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection to HIV test reactivity and suggested but did not demonstrate the presence of cross-reactive Abs [ 15 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific IgM peaks 2–5 weeks after the onset of symptoms [ 31 , 32 ] but decays quickly.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to the previously recognized interfering reagents, three cohort studies found that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was significantly associated with false-positive results in the fourth-generation HIV screening tests Elecsys HIV Duo (Roche) [ 14 , 15 ] and Genscreen Ultra HIV Ag-Ab (Bio-Rad) [ 16 ]. Further, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-associated HIV test reactivity was linked in case studies to additional HIV screening tests including Elecsys HIV Combi PT (Roche) [ 17 ], VIDAS HIV Duo Ultra (BioMérieux) [ 18 ], Vitros HIV combo (Ortho Clinical Diagnostics) [ 19 ], Architect HIV Ag/Ab Combo (Abbott) [ 18 , 20 , 21 ], or unspecified tests [ 22 , 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both the SARS-CoV-2 spike and HIV envelope (Env) are class 1 fusion machineries, require furin cleavage to generate their surface (S1/gp120) and transmembrane (S2/gp41) subunits, and are heavily glycosylated [ 25 ]. Based on these structural similarities, several authors proposed SARS-CoV-2 spike/HIV Env cross-reactive Abs as an explanation for the observed false-reactive HIV screening tests post SARS-CoV-2 infection [ 15 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. No attempt has yet been made to demonstrate the existence of this type of Abs in patient sera with HIV test interference; however, vaccination of mice with spike-induced Abs capable of binding the HIV gp41 membrane-proximal external region (MPER) suggests that induction of HIV cross-reactive Abs by SARS-CoV-2 is possible [ 26 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

False-Positive Screening and Confirmatory HIV Diagnostic Test in a Patient with Cured SARS-CoV-2 Infection Is Not Mediated by Env/Spike Cross-Reactive Antibodies

Elsner,

Appeltrath,

Konik

et al. 2023

Viruses

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Acute SARS-CoV-2 infection has been associated with false-positive HIV screening tests. The underlying mechanism is unclear, and for clinical cases, evidence beyond a temporal connection is missing. However, several experimental studies point toward SARS-CoV-2 spike/HIV-1 envelope (Env) cross-reactive antibodies (Abs) as a cause. Here, we present the first case of an individual with convalescent SARS-CoV-2 infection testing false positive in both an HIV screening and confirmatory test. Longitudinal sampling showed that the phenomenon was temporary but lasted for at least 3 months before waning. After excluding a multitude of common determinants for assay interference, we further show by antibody depletion studies that SARS-CoV-2-spike-specific Abs did not cross-react with HIV-1 gp120 in the patient sample. No additional case of HIV test interference was identified in a cohort of 66 individuals who presented to a post-COVID-19 outpatient clinic. We conclude the SARS-CoV-2-associated HIV test interference to be a temporary process capable of disturbing both screening and confirmatory assays. The assay interference is short-lived and/or rare but should be considered by physicians as a possible explanation for unexpected HIV diagnostic results in patients with a recent SARS-CoV-2 infection.

show abstract