Seroprevalence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2-Specific Antibodies in Australia After the First Epidemic Wave in 2020: A National Survey.

Australia COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence serosurvey

Journal

Open forum infectious diseases
ISSN: 2328-8957
Titre abrégé: Open Forum Infect Dis
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101637045

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
Mar 2022
Historique:
received: 23 08 2021
accepted: 26 01 2022
entrez: 16 2 2022
pubmed: 17 2 2022
medline: 17 2 2022
Statut: epublish

Résumé

As of mid-2021, Australia's only nationwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic occurred in the first 6 months of the pandemic. Subsequently, there has been limited transmission in most states and territories. Understanding community spread during the first wave was hampered by initial limitations on testing and surveillance. To characterize the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific antibody seroprevalence generated during this time, we undertook Australia's largest national SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey. Between June 19 and August 6, 2020, residual specimens were sampled from people undergoing general pathology testing (all ages), women attending antenatal screening (20-39 years), and blood donors (20-69 years) based on the Australian population's age and geographic distributions. Specimens were tested by Wantai total SARS-CoV-2-antibody assay. Seroprevalence estimates adjusted for test performance were produced. The SARS-CoV-2 antibody-positive specimens were characterized with microneutralization assays. Of 11 317 specimens (5132 general pathology; 2972 antenatal; 3213 blood-donors), 71 were positive for SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. Seroprevalence estimates were 0.47% (95% credible interval [CrI], 0.04%-0.89%), 0.25% (CrI, 0.03%-0.54%), and 0.23% (CrI, 0.04%-0.54%), respectively. No seropositive specimens had neutralizing antibodies. Australia's seroprevalence was extremely low (<0.5%) after the only national COVID-19 wave thus far. These data and the subsequent limited community transmission highlight the population's naivety to SARS-CoV-2 and the urgency of increasing vaccine-derived protection.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
As of mid-2021, Australia's only nationwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic occurred in the first 6 months of the pandemic. Subsequently, there has been limited transmission in most states and territories. Understanding community spread during the first wave was hampered by initial limitations on testing and surveillance. To characterize the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific antibody seroprevalence generated during this time, we undertook Australia's largest national SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey.
METHODS METHODS
Between June 19 and August 6, 2020, residual specimens were sampled from people undergoing general pathology testing (all ages), women attending antenatal screening (20-39 years), and blood donors (20-69 years) based on the Australian population's age and geographic distributions. Specimens were tested by Wantai total SARS-CoV-2-antibody assay. Seroprevalence estimates adjusted for test performance were produced. The SARS-CoV-2 antibody-positive specimens were characterized with microneutralization assays.
RESULTS RESULTS
Of 11 317 specimens (5132 general pathology; 2972 antenatal; 3213 blood-donors), 71 were positive for SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. Seroprevalence estimates were 0.47% (95% credible interval [CrI], 0.04%-0.89%), 0.25% (CrI, 0.03%-0.54%), and 0.23% (CrI, 0.04%-0.54%), respectively. No seropositive specimens had neutralizing antibodies.
CONCLUSIONS CONCLUSIONS
Australia's seroprevalence was extremely low (<0.5%) after the only national COVID-19 wave thus far. These data and the subsequent limited community transmission highlight the population's naivety to SARS-CoV-2 and the urgency of increasing vaccine-derived protection.

Identifiants

pubmed: 35169588
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac002
pii: ofac002
pmc: PMC8842318
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Pagination

ofac002

Informations de copyright

© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.

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Auteurs

Kaitlyn M Vette (KM)

National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Sydney, Australia.

Dorothy A Machalek (DA)

The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Centre for Women's Infectious Diseases, The Royal Women's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

Heather F Gidding (HF)

National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Sydney, Australia.
University of Sydney Northern Clinical School, Sydney, Australia.
Women and Babies Research, Kolling Institute, Northern Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia.

Suellen Nicholson (S)

Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.

Matthew V N O'Sullivan (MVN)

Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, New South Wales Health Pathology - Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Sydney, Australia.

John B Carlin (JB)

Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Department of Paediatrics and School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

Marnie Downes (M)

Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.

Lucy Armstrong (L)

National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Sydney, Australia.

Frank H Beard (FH)

National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Sydney, Australia.
University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Dominic E Dwyer (DE)

Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, New South Wales Health Pathology - Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Sydney, Australia.

Robert Gibb (R)

Pathology Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Iain B Gosbell (IB)

Clinical Services and Research, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Sydney, Australia.
School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.

Alexandra J Hendry (AJ)

National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Sydney, Australia.

Geoff Higgins (G)

South Australia Pathology, Adelaide, Australia.

Rena Hirani (R)

Clinical Services and Research, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Sydney, Australia.

Linda Hueston (L)

Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, New South Wales Health Pathology - Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Sydney, Australia.
Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.

David O Irving (DO)

Clinical Services and Research, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Sydney, Australia.
Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Helen E Quinn (HE)

National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Sydney, Australia.
University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Hannah Shilling (H)

Centre for Women's Infectious Diseases, The Royal Women's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

David Smith (D)

PathWest Laboratory Medicine Western Australia, Perth, Australia.

John M Kaldor (JM)

The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

Kristine Macartney (K)

National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Sydney, Australia.
University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Classifications MeSH