1. High Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG and RNA among Asymptomatic Blood Donors in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia
- Author
-
Kamal H. Alzabeedi, Raafat T. M. Makhlof, Rowaida A. Bakri, Ashraf A. Ewis, Heba W. Alhamdi, Turki M. A. Habeebullah, Asim A. Khogeer, Eman A. A. Mulla, Safiah A. M. Roshan, Fadel H. Qabbani, Fayez H. Hafez, Rehab G. Alqurashi, Muhammad O. Babalghaith, Ahmad A. Ghouth, Mohammed H. Alhazmi, Othman M. Fallatah, Saeed A. Badahdah, Duaa I. A. Endergiri, Boshra M. Albarakati, and Sayed F. Abdelwahab
- Subjects
blood donors ,COVID-19 ,IgG ,SARS-CoV-2 ,seroprevalence ,Medicine - Abstract
The gold-standard approach for diagnosing and confirming Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This method, however, is inefficient in detecting previous or dormant viral infections. The presence of antigen-specific antibodies is the fingerprint and cardinal sign for diagnosis and determination of exposure to infectious agents including Corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19). This cross-sectional study examined the presence of SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) among asymptomatic blood donors in Makkah region. A total of 4368 asymptomatic blood donors were enrolled. They were screened for spike-specific IgG using ELISA and COVID-19 RNA by real-time PCR. COVID-19 IgG was detected among 2248 subjects (51.5%) while COVID-19-RNA was detected among 473 (10.8%) subjects. The IgG frequency was significantly higher among males and non-Saudi residents (p < 0.001 each) with no significant variation in IgG positivity among blood donors with different blood groups. In addition, COVID-19 RNA frequency was significantly higher among donors below 40-years old (p = 0.047, χ2 = 3.95), and non-Saudi residents (p = 0.001, χ2 = 304.5). The COVID-19 IgG levels were significantly higher among the RNA-positive donors (p = 001), and non-Saudi residents (p = 0.041), with no variations with age or blood group (p > 0.05). This study reveals a very high prevalence of COVID-19 IgG and RNA among asymptomatic blood donors in Makkah, Saudi Arabia indicating a high exposure rate of the general population to COVID-19; particularly foreign residents. It sheds light on the spread on COVID-19 among apparently healthy individuals at the beginning of the pandemic and could help in designing various control measures to minimize viral spread.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF