Network of laboratories conducting tests for antibodies to COVID-19, for the first time, have disclosed the positive test results for immunoglobulin M. This class of antibodies — the first immune response to disease, their presence can be interpreted as an asymptomatic disease COVID-19. The rate of positive tests for these antibodies, according to the laboratories in Russia are 3-5%, but to call these figures proportion of asymptomatic patients in Russia is impossible, experts say.
Private medical laboratories that perform tests for antibodies to the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, at the request of Forbes has published data on the number of positive tests for immunoglobulin M (IgM). The presence of this class of antibodies indicates the disease COVID-19 in the active form.
Representative of the laboratory “helix” did not disclose the proportion of positive results for the antibody M from his clients.
What kind of antibodies? IgM is the first antibody that appears first in immune response of the organism to the introduction of the virus and indicate that the disease is at the moment, the clarification of the Department of health of Moscow. IgG antibodies develop later and remain for a long time: it tells about the emerging immunity, the Agency notes.
on 28 April, the Ministry of health has included analyses for the presence of immunoglobulin G to the coronavirus in the interim guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. The third of June in the algorithm of examination of a patient with suspected COVID-19 was also added analysis for immunoglobulin M. These tests are of secondary importance not only for diagnosis but for evaluation of the immune response to be transferred to, or current infection, said seventh version of the provisional recommendations of the Ministry of health.
Inhabitants of Moscow began testing for antibodies to the coronavirus since may 15. By 10 June, the proportion of Russians who are faced with the infection and are immune, made up 14% of all tested. In Moscow on 11 June, their share exceeded 17%.
the proportion of positive tests for IgM antibodies active office has not yet opened, said Olga Malinovskaya of the KDL. The Agency is known to anonymised data on the results of these tests from the laboratory, she said.
Get whether the CPS data on tests for antibodies to the coronavirus that conduct private laboratories, in press service Rospotrebnadzor did not specify. Comment provided by “Invitro”, “Hemotest” and other laboratories of the figures in the office did not. “To comment on the conduct of private laboratories testing unknown test systems moreover, to draw conclusions on the basis of these studies is not possible”, — said Forbes press service epidemiology.
it noted that commercial laboratories e.g.ablaut information about confirmed cases of coronavirus infection is mandatory in the regional Department of Rospotrebnadzor within two hours of receipt of a positive result, but we are talking about PCR test as this laboratory diagnosis is used to confirm the diagnosis “coronavirus infection”.
press service Forbes Ministry of health also did not comment on these private laboratories, indicating that the testing for coronavirus in charge of the CPS.
talking About tests for antibodies? Data labs can be interpreted as the detected number of asymptomatic patients with coronavirus in Russia, said the Deputy Governor, Minister of health of the Nizhny Novgorod region David Melik-Guseinov. But this does not mean that the country is the number of asymptomatic patients, he says. “Is only testing those who claimed voluntarily, and statistics do not correctly formed, so to associate one output with others before,” warns Melik-Guseinov.
the Proportion of positive tests to the number of clients who have passed tests, it is wrong to extrapolate to the entire population, agrees Andrey Isaev of DNKOM. According to his observations, tests for coronavirus pass people of active working age, while children and the elderly are not actually participating in the tests. If we apply these tests to the population (and the company, he said, has experienced similar analysis based on the results of the analyses in the later antibodies to the coronavirus), then the holders of the immunoglobulin M steel 1.5% of the population of the capital region, admits Isaev. “They are in the active phase, the initial stage of the disease. And unable to get to the hospital with a bad disease,” he warns.
“if high-quality immunoglobulin M is detected, the person needs to comply with self-isolation. It indicates that the person has some activity of the coronavirus, it can potentially be contagious,” — said physician and head of development Department of medicine BestDoctor Yulia Tkachenko.
“Antibodies is not equal diagnosis. It’s not even a reason to put people in quarantine because it could not isolate the virus,” says Olga Malinovskaya. People with antibodies only need to pass the text of the PCR and on its basis to solve the issue of quarantine, she believes. But if the patient antibodies are determined by M, but already there is a G, then it is also desirable to examine the PCR, but it is not necessary to isolate, because it will likely not excrete virus, she says.
According to the test results significantly, the number of carriers decreases, and the number of holders of antibody increases, says M��linowsky. “The epidemic process went down,” she said. The peak number of positive results PCR test on the coronavirus in the Moscow region was in may, now their number is reduced, confirms Isaev.
