tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Clin Chem Lab Med
. 2022 Oct 26.
doi: 10.1515/cclm-2022-0948. Online ahead of print.
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Italy in newborn dried blood spots
Luisa Galla[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Chiara Cosma[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Michela Bertan[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Sara Altinier[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Martina Zaninotto[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Daniela Basso[SUP] 1 2 5 [/SUP], Alberto Burlina[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Andrea Padoan[SUP] 1 2 5 [/SUP], Mario Plebani[SUP] 1 2 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Obejctives: Serosurveys can be used to monitor COVID-19 seroprevalence and conduct surveillance. Dried blood spot (DBS), used increasingly as a valuable sample to assay severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies (Ab), has several advantages, particularly in infants, due to the limited amount of blood required and its utility in testing a large number of samples in a limited time-frame. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 IgG Ab prevalence in newborn DBS in the Trentino region of Italy, during the time period January 2020 - December 2021.
Methods: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels were determined in DBS by means of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 QuantiVac IgG ELISA assay (Euroimmun, Lubeck, Germany).
Results: Analyses included 2,400 DBS from newborns (54% M, 46% F), samples being collected 2-3 days after birth. The first DBS that tested positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies was found in March 2020 and, up to May 2020, only 4 positive results were detected overall. Starting from June 2020, the positivity thresholds increased according to the epidemiological waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, with a robust increment in the winters of 2020 and 2021. The percentage of positive DBS rose from 0 to 6% to 10-47%, in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates DBS is a suitable tool for both epidemiological purposes and surveillance in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, particularly in newborns and pregnant women, saving blood waste and sparing patients any discomfort.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies; newborn dried blood spots (DBS); seroprevalence study.
. 2022 Oct 26.
doi: 10.1515/cclm-2022-0948. Online ahead of print.
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Italy in newborn dried blood spots
Luisa Galla[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Chiara Cosma[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Michela Bertan[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Sara Altinier[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Martina Zaninotto[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Daniela Basso[SUP] 1 2 5 [/SUP], Alberto Burlina[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Andrea Padoan[SUP] 1 2 5 [/SUP], Mario Plebani[SUP] 1 2 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36282964
- DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2022-0948
Abstract
Obejctives: Serosurveys can be used to monitor COVID-19 seroprevalence and conduct surveillance. Dried blood spot (DBS), used increasingly as a valuable sample to assay severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies (Ab), has several advantages, particularly in infants, due to the limited amount of blood required and its utility in testing a large number of samples in a limited time-frame. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 IgG Ab prevalence in newborn DBS in the Trentino region of Italy, during the time period January 2020 - December 2021.
Methods: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels were determined in DBS by means of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 QuantiVac IgG ELISA assay (Euroimmun, Lubeck, Germany).
Results: Analyses included 2,400 DBS from newborns (54% M, 46% F), samples being collected 2-3 days after birth. The first DBS that tested positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies was found in March 2020 and, up to May 2020, only 4 positive results were detected overall. Starting from June 2020, the positivity thresholds increased according to the epidemiological waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, with a robust increment in the winters of 2020 and 2021. The percentage of positive DBS rose from 0 to 6% to 10-47%, in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates DBS is a suitable tool for both epidemiological purposes and surveillance in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, particularly in newborns and pregnant women, saving blood waste and sparing patients any discomfort.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies; newborn dried blood spots (DBS); seroprevalence study.