Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35073863›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2022

Longitudinal SARS-CoV-2 seroepidemiological investigation among healthcare workers at a tertiary care hospital in Germany.

Sara Tomczyk, Alexander Hönning, Julia Hermes, Marica Grossegesse, Natalie Hofmann, Janine Michel, Markus Neumann, Andreas Nitsche, Berthold Hoppe, Tim Eckmanns and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Longitudinal SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence among Employees in Outpatient Care Services in Hamburg.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
    Article
  3. Evaluation of physical and psychological status of health care workers infected with COVID-19 during a hospital outbreak in Japan.Journal of infection and chemotherapy : official journal of the Japan Society of Chemotherapy · 2023
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. 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

12 authors.

Sara TomczykDepartment of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Seestrasse 10, 13353, Berlin, Germany. tomczyks@rki.de.
Alexander HönningCentre for Clinical Research, BG Klinikum Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin gGmbH, Berlin, Germany.
Julia HermesDepartment of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Seestrasse 10, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
Marica GrossegesseHighly Pathogenic Viruses, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, WHO Reference Laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 and WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Natalie HofmannHighly Pathogenic Viruses, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, WHO Reference Laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 and WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Janine MichelHighly Pathogenic Viruses, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, WHO Reference Laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 and WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Markus NeumannHighly Pathogenic Viruses, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, WHO Reference Laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 and WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Andreas NitscheHighly Pathogenic Viruses, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, WHO Reference Laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 and WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Berthold HoppeBG Klinikum Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin gGmbH, Berlin, Germany.
Tim EckmannsDepartment of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Seestrasse 10, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
Hajo Schmidt-TraubBG Klinikum Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin gGmbH, Berlin, Germany.
Kristina ZappelCentre for Clinical Research, BG Klinikum Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin gGmbH, Berlin, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSARS-CoV-2 cases in Germany increased in early March 2020. By April 2020, cases among health care workers (HCW) were detected across departments at a tertiary care hospital in Berlin, prompting a longitudinal investigation to assess HCW SARS-CoV-2 serostatus with an improved testing strategy and associated risk factors.

methodsIn May/June and December 2020, HCWs voluntarily provided blood for serology and nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal (NP/OP) samples for real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and completed a questionnaire. A four-tiered SARS-CoV-2 serological testing strategy including two different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and biological neutralization test (NT) was used. ELISA-NT correlation was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Sociodemographic and occupational factors associated with seropositivity were assessed with multivariate logistic regression.

resultsIn May/June, 18/1477 (1.2%) HCWs were SARS-CoV-2 seropositive, followed by 56/1223 (4.6%) in December. Among those tested in both, all seropositive in May/June remained seropositive by ELISA and positive by NT after 6 months. ELISA ratios correlated well with NT titres in May/June (R = 0.79) but less so in December (R = 0.41). Those seropositive reporting a past SARS-CoV-2 positive PCR result increased from 44.4% in May/June to 85.7% in December. HCWs with higher occupational risk (based on profession and working site), nurses, males, and those self-reporting COVID-19-like symptoms had significantly higher odds of seropositivity.

conclusionsThis investigation provides insight into the burden of HCW infection in this local outbreak context and the antibody dynamics over time with an improved robust testing strategy. It also highlights the continued need for effective infection control measures particularly among HCWs with higher occupational risk.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2GermanyHealth PersonnelHumansMaleTertiary Care CentersGermanyHealth care workerOutbreakSARS-CoV-2SeropositivityTertiary hospital

Identifiers

PMID35073863
PMCPMC8784861

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.