Detection of Anti-Nucleocapsid Antibody in COVID-19 Patients in Bangladesh Is not Correlated with Previous Dengue Infection

• Published in: Pathogens (Basel) 2021-05, Vol.10 (6), p.637
• Main Authors: Lytton, Simon D., Yeasmin, Mahmuda, Ghosh, Asish Kumar, Bulbul, Md. Rakibul Hassan, Molla, Md. Maruf Ahmed, Herr, Martha, Duchmann, Helmut, Sharif, Md. Mohiuddin, Nafisa, Tasnim, Amin, Md. Robed, Hosen, Nur, Rahman, Md. Tanvir, Islam, Sumaiya, Islam, Alimul, Shamsuzzaman, Abul Khair Mohammad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Antibodies; Coronaviruses; Correlation; COVID-19; Dengue fever; DENV; Disease transmission; Enzymes; Fever; Hospitalization; IgG; Immunoassay; Immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; Infections; Infectious diseases; Laboratories; N-protein; Nucleocapsids; Pandemics; Patients; Polymerase chain reaction; Proteins; Reverse transcription; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; SARS-CoV-2; Serology; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Signs and symptoms; Statistical analysis; Vector-borne diseases; Viral diseases; Viruses
• ISSN: 2076-0817; 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10060637

Background: The assessment of antibody responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 is potentially confounded by exposures to flaviviruses. The aims of the present research were to determine whether anti-dengue antibodies affect the viral load and the detection of anti-coronavirus nucleocapsid (N)-protein antibodies in coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Bangladesh. Methods: Viral RNA was evaluated in swab specimens from 115 COVID-19 patients by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rT-PCR). The anti-N-protein antibodies, anti-dengue virus E-protein antibodies and the dengue non-structural protein-1 were determined in serum from 115 COVID-19 patients, 30 acute dengue fever pre-COVID-19 pandemic and nine normal controls by ELISA. Results: The concentrations of viral RNA in the nasopharyngeal; Ct median (95% CI); 22 (21.9–23.3) was significantly higher than viral RNA concentrations in oropharyngeal swabs; and 29 (27–30.5) p < 0.0001. Viral RNA concentrations were not correlated with-dengue IgG levels. The anti-nucleocapsid antibodies were IgA 27% positive and IgG 35% positive at days 1 to 8 post-onset of COVID-19 symptoms versus IgA 0% and IgG 0% in dengue patients, p < 0.0001. The levels of anti- nucleocapsid IgA or IgG versus the levels of anti-dengue IgM or IgG revealed no significant correlations. Conclusions: Viral RNA and anti-nucleocapsid antibodies were detected in COVID-19 patients from dengue-endemic regions of Bangladesh, independently of the dengue IgG levels.