Evaluation of a SARS-CoV-2 Surrogate Virus Neutralization Test for Detection of Antibody in Human, Canine, Cat, and Hamster Sera

Surrogate neutralization assays for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that can be done without biosafety level 3 containment and in multiple species are desirable. We evaluate a recently developed surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) in comparison to 90% plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT90) in human, canine, cat, and hamster sera. With PRNT90 as the reference, sVNT had sensitivity of 98.9% and specificity of 98.8%. Using a panel of immune sera corresponding to other coronaviruses, we confirm the lack of cross-reactivity to other coronaviruses in SARS-CoV-2 sVNT and PRNT90, except for cross-reactivity to SARS-CoV-1 in sVNT.

Automated summary

The surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) showed high sensitivity and specificity compared to the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90) in human, canine, cat, and hamster sera. There was no cross-reactivity to other coronaviruses in both SARS-CoV-2 sVNT and PRNT90, except for cross-reactivity to SARS-CoV-1 in sVNT.