Epidemiological analysis on immunity from SARS-CoV-2 virus in subjects from Rome, Italy
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Abstract
In the present study, we analyzed results from two rapid tests to evaluate the serological response to SARS-CoV-2 to assess the percentage of patients exposed to this viral infection and their relative humoral response status. The assessment of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence is essential for defining the epidemiological parameters of COVID-19 disease.
We analyzed data from 617 subjects from the geographical area of Rome that underwent a rapid test to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.
Thirty-one out of 617 samples were positive. Among these, 90% (28/31) were positive for both IgM and IgG, while 3% (1/31) were positive for IgG only and 7% (2/31) for IgM only. We conclude that the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in this specific geographic area was 5% (31/617) in the first week of April, and that 0.16% (1/617) of the analyzed subjects were carrying acquired immunity, as indicated by the presence of IgG only.
While limited to the area of Rome, this study proves the possibility for better understanding the progression of this pandemic through the use of antibody titers.
Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 virus, IgM, IgG antibodies.
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