Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Adults and Healthcare Workers in Southern Italy.

Francesco Napolitano,Italo Francesco Angelillo,Giovanna Donnarumma,Antonio Arnese,Gabriella Di Giuseppe,Anna Maria Molinari,Maria Vittoria Montemurro,Maria Pavia

doi:10.3390/ijerph18094761

Francesco Napolitano, Italo Francesco Angelillo + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094761

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Abstract

Background: This study was carried out to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in a Southern Italian population. Methods: The study was performed among students and workers of the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” and the relative Teaching Hospital. Participants were invited to undergo a blood sampling, an interview or to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 140 participants (5.8%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Positive SARS-CoV-2 test results increased significantly during the months of testing, and those who had had at least one symptom among fever, cough, dyspnea, loss of taste or smell and who had had contact with a family member/cohabitant with confirmed COVID-19 were more likely to test positive. Faculty members were less likely to have a positive test result compared to the healthcare workers (HCWs). Among HCWs, physicians showed the lowest rate of seroconversion (5.2%) compared to nurses (8.9%) and other categories (10%). Nurses and other HCWs compared to the physicians, those who had had at least one symptom among fever, cough, dyspnea, loss of taste or smell, and who had had contact with a family member/cohabitant with confirmed COVID-19 were more likely to test positive. Conclusions: The results have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 infection is rapidly spreading even in Southern Italy and confirm the substantial role of seroprevalence studies for the assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection circulation and potential for further spreading.

Highlights

The surveillance of the occurrence of COVID-19 cases is substantially based on the diagnostic tests using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) that are provided to symptomatic patients, to contacts of COVID-19 cases, and, in certain circumstances, to asymptomatic subjects with specific characteristics, such as healthcare workers (HCWs)
The present study reports the results of a comprehensive project that has investigated the circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 infection through the assessment of the seroprevalence of antibodies in a university population in Southern Italy
2020, an overall anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies seroprevalence of 5.8% was revealed in the investigated population, and that this circulation was time-dependent, with a remarkable trend ranging from 2.9% in September to 8.7% in December

Summary

Introduction

The surveillance of the occurrence of COVID-19 cases is substantially based on the diagnostic tests using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) that are provided to symptomatic patients, to contacts of COVID-19 cases, and, in certain circumstances, to asymptomatic subjects with specific characteristics, such as healthcare workers (HCWs). Since it has been shown that asymptomatic infections occur very frequently [1,2,3], and that these subjects and those pre-symptomatic can spread the infection [4,5,6], surveillance data on COVID-19 cases appear to be inadequate to picture the extent and to limit the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) circulation within populations. Comprehensive data on the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection would be essential for the calculation of the infection fatality rate related to this novel coronavirus [7,8], and may shed light on factors involved in the transmission among asymptomatic subjects.

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