The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its guidelines on serology (antibody) testing, bringing them in line with the AMA's recently issued guidelines on the same. For the past several weeks, the AMA has been in touch with various arms of the administration, including the CDC, to discuss and express concerns surrounding current serology testing. In the update the CDC notes ongoing concerns about poor performance among many serology tests currently available on the market.
Specifically, the CDC notes concerns about the significant possibility for false positive results. Like the AMA, the CDC further recommends that serology tests not be used as the basis for making policy, returning to work or for decisions about housing/congregating groups of people. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided updated information about FDA-authorized serology tests, including information about performance of those tests.
