Strain of SARS-associated coronavirus and applications thereof

A method for the detection of a SARS-associated coronavirus infection, from a biological sample, by double epitope ELISA, comprising mixing a serum to be tested with a visualizing antigen, and contacting the resulting mixture with the antigen attached to a solid support, wherein said antigen is a SARS-associated coronavirus N protein and wherein said solid support is sensitized with a solution consisting of N protein at a concentration of between 0.5 and 4 μg/ml in a 10 mM PBS buffer, pH 7.2, phenol red at 0.25 ml/l.