Virologists responded to the bug reports of the tests for coronavirus

Tests for coronavirus may be wrong, since it is not always able to determine if the virus or already suppressed immune system. About it RBC said the Director of the Institute of public health HSE Larisa Popovich.

“Some tests aren’t sensitive enough to notice a small amount of antibodies. Sometimes it all depends on how structured the testing process. If the tests are poorly chosen antigen, they can see traces of other viruses, “explained Popovich.

So she reacted to the conclusions of the Swiss Stadler immunologist Troubles about the absence of asymptomatic carriers of coronavirus infection. In his opinion, an error has occurred due to the fact that the tests for coronavirus is not able to determine whether a virus is alive still or already suppressed immune system, and eventually can take over the active disease, “the tiny shattered pieces of the virus”.

Popovich said that Russia apply 16 tests for the coronavirus with a different sensitivity. “Of course, every test has limitations on the degree of its ability to detect the virus and correctly to determine it. Sometimes there are false results, because badly chosen piece of the genome. Chinese tests have sinned this from the very beginning“, — said the scientist.

Popovich added that the Russian tests have 100 percent sensitivity, they have 95-96%. According to her, in 4% of cases, there may be errors. “In itself, the testing in any way useful. And if you have the symptoms, tests better to take several times“, she said.

The candidate of medical Sciences, therapist, Counsellor of the General Director of the Foundation for international medical cluster Yaroslav Ashikhmin, in turn, told RBC that the person has two systems of immunity.

“We are talking about the coronavirus, all the time focused on the immune system based on antibody production was evaluated by the percentage of ill people’s antibodies, “said Ashikhmin.

However, he continued, there are still cell-mediated immunity, which “works seamlessly” when infected. The scientist gave the following analogy. “The offender can twist the regular police and not to inform the Federal security service. Question: if this virus is “twisted” on the street an ordinary police, understand themselves, it’s an infection or not, asymptomatic or not?” added Ashikhmin.

He noted that “service of cellular immunity” protects a person against various viruses, including coronavirus. In fact, the disease is asymptomatic, meaning that the “system of cellular immunity able to cope” and the body not have to use antibodies. However, according to him, to do tests on the cells of the immune system difficult, because only in Moscow there are “a couple of laboratories”, which can determine whether cellular immunity in those who have no antibodies. “If cellular immunity is job, a person had an immune response at the meeting with the virus but did not develop infection is asymptomatic, “—says the candidate of medical Sciences.

Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Institute of immunology of the University of Bern Beda Stadler believes the myth of the existence of asymptomatic patients COVID-19, and says that the coronavirus is SARS-CoV-2 is similar to the seasonal virus that caused the common cold, which mutates and disappears in summer.

According to Stadler, the fact that epidemiologists do not believe in the seasonality of coronavirus, led to the incorrect preparation of models and forecasts. The study of Stadler in early July, the portal has published the American Academy of medicine for life extension.