Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34192154›Full record

ArticleBMJ open ophthalmology2021

Testing for SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence: experiences of a tertiary eye centre.

Focke Ziemssen, You-Shan Feng, Sven Schnichels, Tarek Bayyoud, Marius Ueffing, Karl Ulrich Bartz-Schmidt, Peter Martus, Andreas Peter

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open ophthalmology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04446338 (Immune Status), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 96% 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.

NCT04446338 unknown statusnot on this map

Immune Status: Antibodies Against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in a Sample of the Eye Department (University Eye Hospital and Research Institute Tübingen)

TypeobservationalSponsorUniversity Hospital TuebingenRan2020 to 2020Enrolled300ConditionsHistory of Covid-19, SeroprevalenceArmsAntibody Test
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed, 0 citations in OpenAlex.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Focke Ziemssen *Center for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3873-0581
You-Shan Feng *Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and applied Biostatistics (IKEaB), Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany.
Sven SchnichelsCenter for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany.
Tarek BayyoudCenter for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany.
Marius UeffingCenter for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany.
Karl Ulrich Bartz-SchmidtCenter for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany.
Peter MartusInstitute for Clinical Epidemiology and applied Biostatistics (IKEaB), Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany.
Andreas PeterInstitute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobichemistry, Department of Internal Medicine, Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany.
University of Tübingen · DEHelmholtz Zentrum München · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe actual prevalence of a SARS-CoV-2 infection and the individual assessment of being or having been infected may differ. Facing the great uncertainty-especially at the beginning of the pandemic-and the possibility of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, subclinical infections, we evaluate the experience of SARS-CoV-2 antibody screening at a tertiary clinical setting. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: All employees of a tertiary eye centre and a research institute of ophthalmology were offered antibody testing in May 2020, using a sequential combination of different validated assays/antigens and point-of-care (POC) testing for a subset (NCT04446338). Before taking blood, a systematic inquiry into past symptoms, known contacts and a subjective self-assessment was documented. The correlations between serostatus, patient contacts and demographic characteristics were analysed. Different tests were compared by Kappa statistics.

resultsAmong 318 participants, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected in 9 employees. Chemiluminescence assays (chemiluminescence immunoassay and electrochemiluminescence) showed superior specificity and high reproducibility, compared with ELISA and POC results.In contrast to the low seropositivity (2.8%) of healthcare workers, higher than that of the other departments of the hospital, a large proportion mistakenly assumed that they might have already been infected. Antiviral antibody titres increased and remained on a plateau for at least 3 months.

conclusionsThe great demand and acceptance confirmed the benefit of highly sensitive testing methods in the early phase of the pandemic. The coincidence of low seroprevalence and anxious employees may have contributed to internalising the need of hygiene measures.

Indexed as

COVID-19infectionpublic health

Identifiers

PMID34192154
PMCPMC8050881
OpenAlexW3153838594

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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.