Abstract
Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) accounted for a significant proportion of COVID-19 infections worldwide. Retrospective seroprevalence surveys are often used to screen for unidentified previous infection with SARS-CoV-2. However, the rate of humoral response in HCWs affected by COVID-19 is not well-defined.
Aims: To assess the specific IgG humoral response in symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2-infected HCWs and identify potential factors associated with humoral response.
Methods: We prospectively recruited 204 HCWs with RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 infection to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 humoral response. Serum-IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were analysed using two commercially available serological assays. A logistic regression was performed to identify independent factors associated with positive IgG serology test.
Results: Overall, the SARS-CoV-2 IgG seropositivity rate was 77%. This seropositivity rate was higher in symptomatic than in asymptomatic COVID-19 infection (83% versus 57%; P < 0.001) and in older HCWs.. The seropositivity rate did not diminish with time. In logistic regression, only a history of COVID-19 symptoms and age were identified as independent factors associated with the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies.
Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies are found significantly more frequently in symptomatic and in older HCWs. The fact that not all COVID-19 HCWs develop detectable IgG is vital for the interpretation of COVID-19 seroprevalence surveys.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; healthcare workers; infection; occupational medicine; serology.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Healthcare workers, serology, Infection, occupational medicine, 【초록키워드】 IgG, Healthcare workers, serology, antibody, occupational medicine, RT-PCR, healthcare worker, serum, Humoral response, COVID-19 infection, IgG antibodies, HCWs, anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, serological assays, anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, symptomatic, healthcare, Interpretation, Logistic regression, Seropositivity, age, serology test, COVID-19 symptoms, SARS-CoV-2 IgG, humoral, Asymptomatic COVID-19, COVID-19 symptom, HCW, Older, Factor, COVID-19 infections, SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, positive, seroprevalence survey, independent, identify, affected, develop, evaluate, significantly more, proportion, recruited, detectable, was performed, analysed, accounted, infection with SARS-CoV-2, symptomatic and asymptomatic, the SARS-CoV-2, 【제목키워드】 healthcare worker, SARS-CoV-2 IgG, symptomatic and asymptomatic,