Serologic response to SARS-CoV-2 in an African population

Autor: Solange Peppa, Nadia Mandeng, Birgit Nikolay, Akenji Blaise Mboringong, Aristide Stéphane Abah Abah, Modeste Tamakloé Koku, Karl Njuwa Fai, Nicole Fouda Mbarga, Robert F. J. Nsaibirni, Dora Tchiasso, Yap Boum, Mahamat Fanne, Georges Alain Etoundi Mballa, Emilienne Epée, Lisa M. Bebell, Rodrigue Ntone, E. B.P.Taa Nguimbis, Richard Njouom, Achta Hamadou, Fouda Crescence, Sarah Eyangoh, Rachel Essaka, Lucrèce Eteki, Tchoula Mamiafo Corine, Mark Ndifon, Marie Claire Okomo Assoumou, Rene Ghislain Essomba, Lucrece Matchim, Linda Esso, Jean Patrick Ouamba
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Scientific African
Scientific African, Vol 12, Iss, Pp e00802-(2021)
ISSN: 2468-2276
Popis: Official case counts suggest Africa has not seen the expected burden of COVID-19 as predicted by international health agencies, and the proportion of asymptomatic patients, disease severity, and mortality burden differ significantly in Africa from what has been observed elsewhere. Testing for SARS-CoV-2 was extremely limited early in the pandemic and likely led to under-reporting of cases leaving important gaps in our understanding of transmission and disease characteristics in the African context. SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence and serologic response data could help quantify the burden of COVID-19 disease in Africa to address this knowledge gap and guide future outbreak response, adapted to the local context. However, such data are widely lacking in Africa. We conducted a cross-sectional seroprevalence survey among 1,192 individuals seeking COVID-19 screening and testing in central Cameroon using the Innovita antibody-based rapid diagnostic. Overall immunoglobulin prevalence was 32%, IgM prevalence was 20%, and IgG prevalence was 24%. IgM positivity gradually increased, peaking around symptom day 20. IgG positivity was similar, gradually increasing over the first 10 days of symptoms, then increasing rapidly to 30 days and beyond. These findings highlight the importance of diagnostic testing and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Cameroon, which likely resulted in artificially low case counts. Rapid antibody tests are a useful diagnostic modality for seroprevalence surveys and infection diagnosis starting 5-7 days after symptom onset. These results represent the first step towards better understanding the SARS-CoV-2 immunological response in African populations.
Databáze: OpenAIRE