Direct detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral antigens from urine samples by mass spectrometry

SARS-CoV-2 infection has become a major public health burden and is known to affect many organs with the respiratory system being involved in a majority of cases. Here we undertook a mass spectrometry-based proteomic approach to test whether viral proteins could be detected in urine of patients with COVID-19. Urine samples from 39 patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR were analysed by mass spectrometry. We detected peptides from the nucleocapsid protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 13 out of 39 urine samples. Thus, our findings suggest that viral proteins present in the urine can be detected by mass spectrometry.