tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Tumori
. 2020 Nov 11;300891620974755.
doi: 10.1177/0300891620974755. Online ahead of print.
Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the prepandemic period in Italy
Giovanni Apolone[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Emanuele Montomoli[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Alessandro Manenti[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Mattia Boeri[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Federica Sabia[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Inesa Hyseni[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Livia Mazzini[SUP] 2 4 [/SUP], Donata Martinuzzi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Laura Cantone[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Gianluca Milanese[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Stefano Sestini[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Paola Suatoni[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alfonso Marchian?[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Valentina Bollati[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Gabriella Sozzi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ugo Pastorino[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
There are no robust data on the real onset of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and spread in the prepandemic period worldwide. We investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific antibodies in blood samples of 959 asymptomatic individuals enrolled in a prospective lung cancer screening trial between September 2019 and March 2020 to track the date of onset, frequency, and temporal and geographic variations across the Italian regions. SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific antibodies were detected in 111 of 959 (11.6%) individuals, starting from September 2019 (14%), with a cluster of positive cases (>30%) in the second week of February 2020 and the highest number (53.2%) in Lombardy. This study shows an unexpected very early circulation of SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic individuals in Italy several months before the first patient was identified, and clarifies the onset and spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Finding SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in asymptomatic people before the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy may reshape the history of pandemic.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 antibodies; Screening.
. 2020 Nov 11;300891620974755.
doi: 10.1177/0300891620974755. Online ahead of print.
Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the prepandemic period in Italy
Giovanni Apolone[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Emanuele Montomoli[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Alessandro Manenti[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Mattia Boeri[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Federica Sabia[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Inesa Hyseni[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Livia Mazzini[SUP] 2 4 [/SUP], Donata Martinuzzi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Laura Cantone[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Gianluca Milanese[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Stefano Sestini[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Paola Suatoni[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alfonso Marchian?[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Valentina Bollati[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Gabriella Sozzi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ugo Pastorino[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33176598
- DOI: 10.1177/0300891620974755
Abstract
There are no robust data on the real onset of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and spread in the prepandemic period worldwide. We investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific antibodies in blood samples of 959 asymptomatic individuals enrolled in a prospective lung cancer screening trial between September 2019 and March 2020 to track the date of onset, frequency, and temporal and geographic variations across the Italian regions. SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific antibodies were detected in 111 of 959 (11.6%) individuals, starting from September 2019 (14%), with a cluster of positive cases (>30%) in the second week of February 2020 and the highest number (53.2%) in Lombardy. This study shows an unexpected very early circulation of SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic individuals in Italy several months before the first patient was identified, and clarifies the onset and spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Finding SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in asymptomatic people before the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy may reshape the history of pandemic.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 antibodies; Screening.