Study: Testing COVID-19 T cells instead of antibodies more accurately finds past infections
Most tests to determine if somebody has already been infected with COVID-19 check for antibodies, but a new study in Italy found that those tests are much less accurate than a new type that looks for a type of immune cell called a T cell. Researchers from the U.S., Britain, and Italy conducted blood tests on 70 people in Vo, Italy, who had been infected with the new coronavirus in the past two months. With the antibody screen, 16 people tested negative, a false negative rate of 23 percent; with T cells, there were only two false negatives, a rate of 3 percent, CNN reports.
The researchers also studied 2,200 people who had tested negative for COVID-19, and only 45 of them were found to have been infected with the T cell test. Dr. Lance Baldo, a coauthor of the unpublished study, said many of those 45 people likely had COVID-19 at some point but did not realize it. The company that makes the test in question, Adaptive Biotechnologies, plans to seek FDA emergency use authorization for a commercial vision of its test in late November.
The body's immune response to a virus like COVID-19 is "like a military operation, where you have different components," former FDA commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach tells CNN. "The Navy lands on the shore, the Air Force attacks from on high, the Army comes in with artillery. ... When something tries to invade us, the fight our body launches is extremely sophisticated and complicated." The source of the antibodies dies off in a few months, but T cells have been known to remain in the body for years.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Ottawa climate talks: can global plastic problem be solved?
In the spotlight Nations aim to draft world's first treaty on plastic pollution, but resistance from oil- and gas-producing countries could limit scope
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Netherlands split on WFH for sex workers
Speed Read Councils concerned over 'nuisance' of at-home sex work, but others say changes will curb underground sex trade
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'He adored Trump, and then rejected him'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published