In late 2019, cases of atypical pneumonia were detected in China. The etiological agent was quickly identified as a betacoronavirus (named SARS-CoV-2),
which has since caused a pandemic. Several methods allowing for the specific
detection of viral nucleic acids have been established, but these only allow detection of the virus during a short period of time, generally during acute infection. Serological assays are urgently needed to conduct serosurveys, to understand the antibody responses mounted in response to the virus, and to identify
individuals who are potentially immune to re-infection. Here we describe a
detailed protocol for expression of antigens derived from the spike protein of
SARS-CoV-2 that can serve as a substrate for immunological assays, as well as
a two-stage serological enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). These
assays can be used for research studies and for testing in clinical laboratories.
© 2020 The Authors. Current Protocols in Microbiology published by Wiley
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