tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Infect Public Health
. 2021 May 27;14(7):845-851.
doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2021.05.003. Online ahead of print.
Epidemiological feature, viral shedding, and antibody seroconversion among asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers and symptomatic/presymptomatic COVID-19 patients
Yi Chen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ping Li[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yibo Ding[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Miao Liu[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Leijie Liu[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Bo Yi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ting Wu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hongjun Dong[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Xuying Lao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Keqing Ding[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Haibo Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Dongliang Zhang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Xiaojie Tan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Zhongfa Wang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Guozhang Xu[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Guangwen Cao[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is pandemic. However, data concerning the epidemiological features, viral shedding, and antibody dynamics between asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers and COVID-19 patients remain controversial.
Methods: We enrolled 193 SARS-CoV-2 infected subjects in Ningbo and Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China, from January 21 to March 6, 2020. All subjects were followed up to monitor the dynamics of serum antibody immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG against SARS-CoV-2 using colloidal gold-labeled and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.
Results: Of those, 31 were asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers, 148 symptomatic COVID-19 patients, and 14 presymptomatic COVID-19 patients. Compared to symptomatic COVID-19 patients, asymptomatic carriers were younger and had higher levels of white blood cell and lymphocyte, lower level of C-reactive protein, and shorter viral shedding duration. Conversion of IgM from positive to negative was shorter in asymptomatic carriers than in COVID-19 patients (7.5 vs. 25.5 days, P = 0.030). The proportion of those persistently seropositive for IgG against SARS-CoV-2 was higher in COVID-19 patients than in asymptomatic carriers (66.1% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.037). Viral load was higher in symptomatic patients than presymptomatic patients (P = 0.003) and asymptomatic carriers (P = 0.004). Viral shedding duration was longer in presymptomatic COVID-19 patients than in asymptomatic carriers (48.0 vs. 24.0 days, P = 0.002). Asymptomatic carriers acquired infection more from intra-familial transmission than did COVID-19 patients (89.0% vs. 61.0%, P = 0.028). In 4 familial clusters of SARS-CoV-2 infection, asymptomatic carriers were mainly children and young adults while severe COVID-19 was mainly found in family members older than 60 years with comorbidities.
Conclusion: Asymptomatic carriers might have a higher antiviral immunity to clear SARS-CoV-2 than symptomatic COVID-19 patients and this antiviral immunity should be contributable to innate and adaptive cellular immunity rather than humoral immunity. The severity of COVID-19 is associated with older age and comorbidities in familial clustering cases.
Keywords: Asymptomatic carriers; COVID-19; Intra-familial transmission; SARS-CoV-2.
. 2021 May 27;14(7):845-851.
doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2021.05.003. Online ahead of print.
Epidemiological feature, viral shedding, and antibody seroconversion among asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers and symptomatic/presymptomatic COVID-19 patients
Yi Chen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ping Li[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yibo Ding[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Miao Liu[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Leijie Liu[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Bo Yi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ting Wu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hongjun Dong[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Xuying Lao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Keqing Ding[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Haibo Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Dongliang Zhang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Xiaojie Tan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Zhongfa Wang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Guozhang Xu[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Guangwen Cao[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34118734
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2021.05.003
Abstract
Background: Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is pandemic. However, data concerning the epidemiological features, viral shedding, and antibody dynamics between asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers and COVID-19 patients remain controversial.
Methods: We enrolled 193 SARS-CoV-2 infected subjects in Ningbo and Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China, from January 21 to March 6, 2020. All subjects were followed up to monitor the dynamics of serum antibody immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG against SARS-CoV-2 using colloidal gold-labeled and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.
Results: Of those, 31 were asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers, 148 symptomatic COVID-19 patients, and 14 presymptomatic COVID-19 patients. Compared to symptomatic COVID-19 patients, asymptomatic carriers were younger and had higher levels of white blood cell and lymphocyte, lower level of C-reactive protein, and shorter viral shedding duration. Conversion of IgM from positive to negative was shorter in asymptomatic carriers than in COVID-19 patients (7.5 vs. 25.5 days, P = 0.030). The proportion of those persistently seropositive for IgG against SARS-CoV-2 was higher in COVID-19 patients than in asymptomatic carriers (66.1% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.037). Viral load was higher in symptomatic patients than presymptomatic patients (P = 0.003) and asymptomatic carriers (P = 0.004). Viral shedding duration was longer in presymptomatic COVID-19 patients than in asymptomatic carriers (48.0 vs. 24.0 days, P = 0.002). Asymptomatic carriers acquired infection more from intra-familial transmission than did COVID-19 patients (89.0% vs. 61.0%, P = 0.028). In 4 familial clusters of SARS-CoV-2 infection, asymptomatic carriers were mainly children and young adults while severe COVID-19 was mainly found in family members older than 60 years with comorbidities.
Conclusion: Asymptomatic carriers might have a higher antiviral immunity to clear SARS-CoV-2 than symptomatic COVID-19 patients and this antiviral immunity should be contributable to innate and adaptive cellular immunity rather than humoral immunity. The severity of COVID-19 is associated with older age and comorbidities in familial clustering cases.
Keywords: Asymptomatic carriers; COVID-19; Intra-familial transmission; SARS-CoV-2.