LAB ANTIBODY
Detect a Recent COVID-19 Infection
Serology antibody tests determine whether a person has recently had a COVID-19 infection. These tests should not be used to determine immunity status. Results available 48 to 72 hours after sample arrival at the laboratory.
Assays: DiaSorin IgM and IgG, Beckman Coulter IgG, Siemens and DIaSorin IgM, IgG and Total*
*These tests are only for use under the Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization. This laboratory-developed test has been validated in accordance with CLIA and FDA’s Guidance Document (Policy for Diagnostic Tests for Coronavirus Disease-2019 during the Public Health Emergency Immediately in Effect Guidance for Clinical Laboratories, Commercial Manufacturers, and Food and Drug Administration Staff Document). This test service has not been FDA cleared or approved.
How to Use

STICK
Stick finger with lancet

DROP
Add 4 large drops of blood

WAIT
Wait 3 minutes for sample to dry

CLOSE & SHIP
Close lid and ship
What Will My Results Tell Me?
Antibody testing is done with blood samples because we look for evidence of the body’s immune response to the virus. After your body is exposed to a foreign pathogen, your white blood cells make antibodies to neutralize it. When an antibody test comes back positive for COVID-19 it means that you were exposed to SARS-CoV-2 at some point in the past, and your immune system was robust enough to launch an antibody-forming immune response.
You will have the opportunity to speak with a licensed physician to discuss your test results.
The antibody test will tell us if a person currently has or had a COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, unlike a throat or nasal swab-based test that looks for virus indicating only an active infection.
Typically, Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is the most abundant antibody to be produced our immune system’s in response to an infection and is maintained in the body after initial exposure for long-term immune response. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) is the first antibody to be produced by our immune system in response to an infection and is primarily detected during the early stages of infection. While, these are the typical responses to most viruses, the body may not respond to COVID-19 this way.
Together, the presence of these two antibodies in a person’s blood is indicative of a COVID-19 infection within the past ~3-40 days. Note this test is only for qualitative detection and should not be the sole basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment or used in place of FDA-authorized molecular viral tests.
- IgM is usually the first, specific antibody type generated by the body in response to infection.
- The IgG antibody type is then generated and replaces IgM as the predominant antibody in the response to infection for most viruses.
- IgM and IgG fight infections by targeting specific antigens on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.