Antibodies to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in All of Us Research Program Participants, 2 January to 18 March 2020. (15th June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Althoff, Keri N; Schlueter, David J; Anton-Culver, Hoda; Cherry, James; Denny, Joshua C; Thomsen, Isaac; Karlson, Elizabeth W; Havers, Fiona P; Cicek, Mine S; Thibodeau, Stephen N; Pinto, Ligia A; Lowy, Douglas; Malin, Bradley A; Ohno-Machado, Lucila; Williams, Carolyn; Goldstein, David; Kouame, Aymone; Ramirez, Andrea; Roman, Adrienne; Sharpless, Norman E; Gebo, Kelly A; Schully, Sheri D
• Is Part Of: Clinical infectious diseases. Volume 74:Number 4(2022)
• Page Start: 584
• Page End: 590
• Publication Date: 2021-06-15
• Subjects: SARS-CoV-2 -- United States -- Epidemic -- Immunoglobulin G antibodies -- All of Us Research Program; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; 616.905
• DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab519
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1058-4838

Abstract

Abstract: Background: With limited severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) testing capacity in the United States at the start of the epidemic (January–March 2020), testing was focused on symptomatic patients with a travel history throughout February, obscuring the picture of SARS-CoV-2 seeding and community transmission. We sought to identify individuals with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the early weeks of the US epidemic. Methods: All of Us study participants in all 50 US states provided blood specimens during study visits from 2 January to 18 March 2020. Participants were considered seropositive if they tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies with the Abbott Architect SARS-CoV-2 IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the EUROIMMUN SARS-CoV-2 ELISA in a sequential testing algorithm. The sensitivity and specificity of these ELISAs and the net sensitivity and specificity of the sequential testing algorithm were estimated, along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: The estimated sensitivities of the Abbott and EUROIMMUN assays were 100% (107 of 107 [95% CI: 96.6%–100%]) and 90.7% (97 of 107 [83.5%–95.4%]), respectively, and the estimated specificities were 99.5% (995 of 1000 [98.8%–99.8%]) and 99.7% (997 of 1000 [99.1%–99.9%]), respectively. The net sensitivity and specificity of our sequential testing algorithm were 90.7% (97 of 107 [95% CI: 83.5%–95.4%]) and 100.0% (1000 of 1000 [99.6%–100%]), respectively. Of the 24 079 study participants with blood specimens from 2 January to 18 March 2020, 9 were seropositive, 7 before the first confirmed case in the states of Illinois, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi. Conclusions: Our findings identified SARS-CoV-2 infections weeks before the first recognized cases in 5 US states. Abstract : Seven individuals had detectable severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunoglobulin G before the first confirmed cases in Illinois, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 infections occurred weeks before recognized cases in at least 5 US states.