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DETAILS HERE:

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-08-covid-biomarker-blood-sphingosine-symptomatic.html

[EXCERPT]

“Just by looking at the data, you can clearly separate the different patient groups, even without doing technical statistical analyses,” said Alhaji Janneh, lead author and graduate student in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

In asymptomatic patients who tested positive for a SARS-CoV-2 antibody, the researchers found a slight increase in serum sphingosine levels—and only sphingosine—compared to patients who tested negative. Remarkably, in patients who developed COVID-19 symptoms, there was a 15-fold reduction in sphingosine levels. Conversely, almost 75% of asymptomatic patients had elevated AC levels while most symptomatic patients had no detectable AC. The presence of serum AC correlates with the increased levels of sphingosine.

“Can this be an alternative way to predict which patients are the most vulnerable to severe disease?” asked Ogretmen, who is also a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the SmartState Endowed Chair in Lipidomics and Drug Discovery. “If we can separate asymptomatic patients from symptomatic patients, we can use limited remedies and resources for patients who are more vulnerable.”

Overall, there is a 99% probability of correctly determining which patients, who have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, will develop disease symptoms versus remain asymptomatic, using blood levels of sphingosine.

These striking results would not have been possible without the MUSC COVID-19 Biorepository and collaboration with the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute (SCTR). SCTR set up the biorepository to serve as a resource for COVID-19 research, and SCTR co-principal investigator Patrick Flume, M.D. is its director and one of the authors of the article.

Analyzing levels of various lipids from patient samples is expensive and requires sophisticated equipment, making this type of analysis prohibitive under most circumstances. However, the development of an ELISA-based assay—like those used to diagnose HIV infection—to detect levels of AC could provide a cost-effective alternative that could be widely implemented.

I love me some serum sphingosine with collard greens and purple-hulled peas.

An interesting article. I have, or had anyway, the covid antibodies but was never sick. Found this out after donating blood and verified by 2 different labs. The antibodies were high enough in number that I was asked to donate plasma. My husband had no antibodies. Covid went through our relatively small rural community pretty hard and looks like it's ramping up again.

"However, the development of an ELISA-based assay—like those used to diagnose HIV infection—to detect levels of AC could provide a cost-effective alternative that could be widely implemented."

You can bet that will never happen, given the shell game you go through to get the ELISA COVID test right now.

Thanks for posting this.