A nasal swab could determine COVID severity
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Detecting autoantibodies in nasal cavities with swabs could be key to determining how severe COVID symptoms will be.
Why it matters: The findings from Emory University-led researchers run counter to earlier studies showing autoantibodies in the blood indicate a more serious infection.
- And determining the severity of a case soon after initial infection could help clinicians find the best course of treatment, said senior author Eliver Ghosn.
What they found: The presence of autoantibodies that attack the body's own proteins in a COVID patient's nose is connected with fewer symptoms and faster recovery, the researchers wrote in Science Translational Medicine.
- They tracked 125 COVID patients over two years.
- More than 70% of people with mild or moderate COVID-19 had the autoantibodies.
State of play: Currently, providers can make educated guesses about how sick a patient might get from COVID based on comorbidities, including obesity and diabetes, and other factors.
- Ghosn and his lab created a new assay to test for nasal autoantibodies, which he hopes can eventually be turned into a predictive diagnostic test that patients get quickly after testing positive.
The intrigue: Autoantibodies are typically associated with worse health, but the opposite seems to be true with nasal autoantibodies in the case of COVID, the study found.
- Ghosn found the antibodies seem to prevent excessive inflammation in the body.
Yes, but: The study only showed that there's a correlation between that nasal autoantibodies and less severe symptoms. It didn't uncover how they are related.
- That's an important future research question, Ghosn said. He also wants to conduct larger trials on nasal autoantibodies in COVID patients, and look into how they affect other respiratory illnesses, including flu.
