The Health Equation is delighted to offer our patients The T-SPOT®.COVID test, the first COVID-19 test for use in the detection of a T cell-mediated response to SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID 19 vaccination. In conjunction with the already available Roche Spike Protein Antibody test, this now offers a more complete understanding of an individual’s immune response to COVID 19 infection or vaccination.
The T-SPOT®.COVID blood test is offered to patients during a clinician administered venous blood sample, as the sample must reach the lab within 24 hours.
The T-SPOT.COVID test antigen mix optimized for SARS-CoV-2
The T-SPOT.COVID test is a simple blood test intended for use as an aid in identifying individuals with an adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2, specifically the T cell response. The test uses the T-SPOT Technology, a modified ELISPOT technology, with an optimised antigen mix, based on SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins, spike and nucleocapsid (S and N), and allows the maximum breadth of the immune response to be measured.
CE marked for IVD use
- Proven to detect evidence of a T cell-mediated immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in PCR positive patients with a negative serology test result
- Results, complemented by serology results, give a comprehensive view of an individuals’ immune response to SARS-CoV-2
- Results can be generated quickly, the laboratory process takes just 3 days
What do we know about the immune response to SARS-CoV-2?
In general, most people infected with SARS-CoV-2 or who have had COVID 19 vaccinations, develop a T cell and an antibody response against the virus within several weeks after initial exposure.
What are T cells and antibodies and why are they important?
T cells produce a cellular-level immune response. Helper T cells orchestrate immune responses and activate B cells to release antibodies, while cytotoxic T cells kill host cells that have become infected by pathogens (bacteria and viruses). An antibody is a protein formed and released from specific B cells in response to a signal from a helper T cell. Antibodies attach to antigens, proteins on the surface of pathogens. They can also inhibit movement or stop some viruses from forming essential proteins.
Antibody tests are useful for showing whether a patient has recently been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease known as COVID-19. However, research suggests antibody immunity to SARS-CoV-2 wanes over time. There is also evidence that some infected individuals do not produce detectable levels of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. As such, using antibody tests alone may underestimate the prevalence of population level exposure to the virus. T cell testing can be used as an adjunct test to provide further information about immune responses to SARS-CoV-2.
What is the accuracy of the test?
The data from the US clinical study shows an average percent positive agreement between the T-SPOT.COVID test and PCR of 96.6 % (84/87) at <60 days after positive PCR result, and 83.3% (40/48) at >60 days after positive PCR result.
An overall negative agreement of 98.0 % (98/100) was seen in a cohort of individuals presumed negative (low risk of infection and no previous PCR positive result) but living in an endemic region.
What does a positive T-SPOT.COVID test result mean?
A positive test result means that a patient has T cells that are reactive to the SARS-CoV-2 specific peptides used in the T-SPOT.COVID test. It is highly likely that they have been exposed to the SARS- CoV-2 virus.
What does a negative test result mean?
A negative test result means that the patient does not have T cells that are reactive to the SARS-CoV- 2 specific peptides used in the test. It is therefore unlikely that they have been exposed to the SARS- CoV-2 virus.
How does the T-SPOT.COVID test add to the information I get from antibody testing?
The T-SPOT.COVID test is intended to assess the cell mediated immunity to SARS-CoV-2. This is important as several limitations have been reported with the measurement of antibody-mediated immunity to SARS-CoV-2. As such, understanding cell mediated immunity may help to better understand the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially in individuals who do not produce a measurable antibody response, or whose antibody responses have waned over time. The only way to understand the complete immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection is to test for both antibodies and T cells.