Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33870245›Full record

ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Europe2021

Cross sectional investigation of a COVID-19 outbreak at a London Army barracks: Neutralising antibodies and virus isolation.

Hannah Taylor, William Wall, David Ross, Roshni Janarthanan, Liyang Wang, Felicity Aiano, Joanna Ellis, Robin Gopal, Nick Andrews, Monika Patel and 6 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Lancet regional health. Europe, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 31% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) from pre and asymptomatic infected individuals: a systematic review.Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases · 2022
    Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Article
  5. SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in the Military during the Early Phase of the Pandemic-A Systematic Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Article
  6. Observational
  7. COVID-19 Outbreak in a Military Unit in Korea.Epidemiology and health · 2021
    Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Hannah TaylorImmunisation and Countermeasures Division, Public Health England, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK.
William WallArmy Medical Services, Robertson House, Camberley, GU15 4NP, UK.
David RossArmy Medical Services, Robertson House, Camberley, GU15 4NP, UK.
Roshni JanarthananLondon Health Protection Team, Public Health England, London, UK.
Liyang WangLondon Health Protection Team, Public Health England, London, UK.
Felicity AianoImmunisation and Countermeasures Division, Public Health England, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK.
Joanna EllisVirus Reference Department, Public Health England, London, UK.
Robin GopalVirus Reference Department, Public Health England, London, UK.
Nick AndrewsInfectious Disease Informatics, Public Health England, London, UK.
Monika PatelVirus Reference Department, Public Health England, London, UK.
Angie LackenbyVirus Reference Department, Public Health England, London, UK.
Richard MyersInfectious Disease Informatics, Public Health England, London, UK.
Mary E RamsayImmunisation and Countermeasures Division, Public Health England, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK.
J Yimmy ChowLondon Health Protection Team, Public Health England, London, UK.
Maria ZambonVirus Reference Department, Public Health England, London, UK.
Shamez N LadhaniImmunisation and Countermeasures Division, Public Health England, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK.
Public Health England · GBSt George's, University of London · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMilitary personnel in enclosed societies are at increased risk of respiratory infections. We investigated an outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in a London Army barracks early in the pandemic.

methodsArmy personnel, their families and civilians had nasal and throat swabs for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by reverse transcriptase -polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), virus isolation and whole genome sequencing, along with blood samples for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. All tests were repeated 36 days later.

findingsDuring the first visit, 304 (254 Army personnel, 10 family members, 36 civilians, 4 not stated) participated and 24/304 (8%) were SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive. Infectious virus was isolated from 7/24 (29%). Of the 285 who provided a blood sample, 7% (19/285) were antibody positive and 63% (12/19) had neutralising antibodies. Twenty-two (22/34, 64%) individuals with laboratory-confirmed infection were asymptomatic. Nine SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive participants were also antibody positive but those who had neutralising antibodies did not have infectious virus. At the second visit, no new infections were detected, and 13% (25/193) were seropositive, including 52% (13/25) with neutralising antibodies. Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity included contact with a confirmed case (RR 25.2; 95% CI 14-45), being female (RR 2.5; 95% CI 1.0-6.0) and two-person shared bathroom (RR 2.6; 95% CI 1.1-6.4).

interpretationWe identified high rates of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Public Health control measures can mitigate spread but virus re-introduction from asymptomatic individuals remains a risk. Most seropositive individuals had neutralising antibodies and infectious virus was not recovered from anyone with neutralising antibodies.

fundingPHE.

Identifiers

PMID33870245
PMCPMC7834392
OpenAlexW3114224151

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.