Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34195921›Full record

ArticleIrish journal of medical science2022

High anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence in healthcare workers in an Irish university teaching hospital.

Ann Leonard, Anna Rose Prior, Phyllis Reilly, Caroline Murray, Meghan O' Brien, Gillian Maguire, Deborah Ennis, Alex Reid, Ana Rakovac, Gerard Boran

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Irish journal of medical science, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.1field-weighted citation impact, top 59% 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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. 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

10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Ann Leonard *Departments of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Dublin 24 and School of Medicine, Tallaght University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1540-5153
Anna Rose Prior *Department of Clinical Microbiology, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin 24, Ireland. anna-rose.prior@tuh.ie.
Phyllis ReillyDepartments of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Dublin 24 and School of Medicine, Tallaght University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Caroline MurrayDepartments of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Dublin 24 and School of Medicine, Tallaght University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Meghan O' BrienDepartments of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Dublin 24 and School of Medicine, Tallaght University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Gillian MaguireDepartments of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Dublin 24 and School of Medicine, Tallaght University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Deborah EnnisDepartments of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Dublin 24 and School of Medicine, Tallaght University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Alex ReidDepartment of Occupational Health and Wellbeing, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin 24, Ireland.
Ana RakovacDepartments of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Dublin 24 and School of Medicine, Tallaght University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Gerard BoranDepartments of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Dublin 24 and School of Medicine, Tallaght University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Trinity College Dublin · IETallaght University Hospital · IE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionHealthcare workers are at very high risk for SARS-CoV-2 exposure and infection. This study evaluated anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in healthcare workers in a tertiary care hospital and then correlated seroprevalence with confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection in this population since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

methodThe study was approved by our institution's Joint Research Ethics Committee in June 2020. All volunteers were provided with a consent form, an information leaflet and a questionnaire on the day before phlebotomy. Serum samples were collected from 1176 participants over a 3-month period and analysed using the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) which detects total antibodies against the nucleocapsid protein of SARs-COV-2.

resultsOverall anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among participating healthcare workers was 17.9%. The rate of confirmed infection by real-time polymerase chain reaction molecular testing prior to participation was 12.2%. Of 211 participants who had a reactive antibody test result, 37% did not have COVID-19 infection confirmed at any point prior to participation in this study, either having had a swab which did not detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA or having never been tested. Seropositivity was the highest (30%) in the youngest quintile of age (20-29 years old). Staff with more patient contact had a higher seroprevalence of 19.5% compared to 13.4% in staff with less patient contact.

conclusionThis study demonstrates that a substantial proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections in healthcare workers may be asymptomatic or subclinical and thus potentially represent a significant transmission risk to colleagues and patients.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2AdultAntibodies, ViralHealth PersonnelHospitals, TeachingHumansPandemicsRNA, ViralSeroepidemiologic StudiesUniversitiesYoung AdultAntibodies, ViralRNA, ViralAntibodyHealthcare workerSARS-CoV-2Seroprevalence

Identifiers

PMID34195921
PMCPMC8245120
OpenAlexW3177321327

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.