Serologic Evaluation of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in the Republic of Korea

被引：12

作者：

Ko, Jae-Hoon ^{[1
]}

Lee, Ji Yeon ^{[2
]}

Kim, Hyun Ah ^{[2
]}

Kang, Seung-Ji ^{[3
]}

Baek, Jin Yang ^{[4
]}

Park, Su-Jin ^{[5
,6
]}

Hyun, Miri ^{[2
]}

Jo, Ik Joon ^{[7
]}

Chung, Chi Ryang ^{[8
]}

Kim, Yae-Jean ^{[9
]}

Kang, Eun-Suk ^{[10
]}

Choi, Young Ki ^{[5
,6
]}

Chang, Hyun-Ha ^{[11
]}

Jung, Sook In ^{[3
]}

Peck, Kyong Ran ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] Sungkyunkwan Univ, Sch Med, Samsung Med Ctr, Div Infect Dis,Dept Med, Seoul, South Korea

[2] Keimyung Univ, Sch Med, Dongsan Hosp, Div Infect Dis,Dept Med, Daegu, South Korea

[3] Chonnam Natl Univ, Med Sch, Dept Internal Med, Div Infect Dis, Gwangju, South Korea

[4] Asia Pacific Fdn Infect Dis, Seoul, South Korea

[5] Chungbuk Natl Univ, Coll Med, Cheongju, South Korea

[6] Chungbuk Natl Univ, Med Res Inst, Cheongju, South Korea

[7] Sungkyunkwan Univ, Sch Med, Samsung Med Ctr, Dept Emergency Med, Seoul, South Korea

[8] Sungkyunkwan Univ, Sch Med, Samsung Med Ctr, Dept Crit Care Med, Seoul, South Korea

[9] Sungkyunkwan Univ, Samsung Med Ctr, Div Infect Dis & Immunodeficiency, Dept Pediat,Sch Med, Seoul, South Korea

[10] Sungkyunkwan Univ, Sch Med, Samsung Med Ctr, Dept Lab Med & Genet, Seoul, South Korea

[11] Kyungpook Natl Univ, Sch Med, Dept Internal Med, Div Infect Dis, Daegu, South Korea

来源：

FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY | 2020年 / 11卷

关键词：

COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; antibody; serology; healthcare worker; EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME; ANTIBODY; MERS;

D O I：

10.3389/fmicb.2020.587613

中图分类号：

Q93 [微生物学];

学科分类号：

071005 ; 100705 ;

摘要：

The safety of healthcare workers (HCWs) against severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission is an important aspect of managing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In the South Korea, highly stringent infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines are implemented, and reports of healthcare-associated SARS-CoV-2 transmission among HCWs are limited. However, subclinical infections may have been missed by the current symptom-based screening strategy. To evaluate the risk of undetected SARS-CoV-2 transmissions from COVID-19 patients to HCWs, we conducted a multicenter seroprevalence study after the first surge of the COVID-19 outbreak. A total of 432 HCWs were evaluated, comprising 309 HCWs designated to laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patient care and 123 non-designated HCWs. Designated HCWs wore personal protective equipment including an N95 respirator, eye protection, hooded overalls, shoe covers, and inner and outer gloves. Use of a powered air-purifying respirator was recommended for aerosol-generating procedures or long-duration care activities. A high-sensitivity (99.1%) fluorescence immunoassay immunoglobulin G (IgG) kit was used as the initial screening test, and two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits for total and IgG antibodies were used to confirm the test results. A microneutralization test was additionally performed to evaluate the neutralizing activity of positive specimens. Among the evaluated HCWs, none of the non-designated HCWs had a positive result, while one of the HCWs designated for COVID-19 patient care (1/309, 0.3%) was seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 with confirmed neutralizing activity (1:40). This finding suggests that subclinical seroconversion may occur among HCWs caring for COVID-19 patients, although the risk is low under strict IPC guidance.

引用

页数：6