SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence and Antibody Kinetics Among Health Care Workers in a Spanish Hospital After 3 Months of Follow-up. (11th November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Moncunill, Gemma; Mayor, Alfredo; Santano, Rebeca; Jiménez, Alfons; Vidal, Marta; Tortajada, Marta; Sanz, Sergi; Méndez, Susana; Llupià, Anna; Aguilar, Ruth; Alonso, Selena; Barrios, Diana; Carolis, Carlo; Cisteró, Pau; Chóliz, Eugenia; Cruz, Angeline; Fochs, Silvia; Jairoce, Chenjerai; Hecht, Jochen; Lamoglia, Montserrat; Martínez, Mikel J; Moreno, Javier; Mitchell, Robert A; Ortega, Natalia; Pey, Nuria; Puyol, Laura; Ribes, Marta; Rosell, Neus; Figueroa-Romero, Antía; Sotomayor, Patricia; Torres, Sara; Williams, Sarah; Barroso, Sonia; Vilella, Anna; Trilla, Antoni; Varela, Pilar; Dobaño, Carlota; Garcia-Basteiro, Alberto L;
• Is Part Of: Journal of infectious diseases. Volume 223:Number 1(2021)
• Page Start: 62
• Page End: 71
• Publication Date: 2020-11-11
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- SARS-CoV-2 -- seroprevalence -- antibodies -- health care workers -- longitudinal cohort -- kinetics; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; Diseases -- Causes and theories of causation -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Communicable Diseases -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa696
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-1899

Abstract

Abstract: Background: At the COVID-19 spring 2020 pandemic peak in Spain, prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort of 578 randomly selected health care workers (HCWs) from Hospital Clínic de Barcelona was 11.2%. Methods: A follow-up survey 1 month later (April-May 2020) measured infection by rRT-PCR and IgM, IgA, and IgG to the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein by Luminex. Antibody kinetics, including IgG subclasses, was assessed until month 3. Results: At month 1, the prevalence of infection measured by rRT-PCR and serology was 14.9% (84/565) and seroprevalence 14.5% (82/565). We found 25 (5%) new infections in 501 participants without previous evidence of infection. IgM, IgG, and IgA levels declined in 3 months (antibody decay rates 0.15 [95% CI, .11–.19], 0.66 [95% CI, .54–.82], and 0.12 [95% CI, .09–.16], respectively), and 68.33% of HCWs had seroreverted for IgM, 3.08% for IgG, and 24.29% for IgA. The most frequent subclass responses were IgG1 (highest levels) and IgG2, followed by IgG3, and only IgA1 but no IgA2 was detected. Conclusions: Continuous and improved surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infections in HCWs remains critical, particularly in high-risk groups. The observed fast decay of IgA and IgM levels has implications for seroprevalence studies using these isotypes. Abstract : SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in 578 health care workers increased from 11.2% at the COVID-19 pandemic peak to 14.9% 1 month later. IgM, IgG, and IgA levels declined over 3 months of follow-up with 68.33%, 3.08%, and 24.29% of seroreversions, respectively.