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Offergeld R, Preußel K, Zeiler T, Aurich K, Baumann-Baretti BI, Ciesek S, Corman VM, Dienst V, Drosten C, Görg S, Greinacher A, Grossegesse M, Haller S, Heuft HG, Hofmann N, Horn PA, Houareau C, Gülec I, Jiménez Klingberg CL, Juhl D, Lindemann M, Martin S, Neuhauser HK, Nitsche A, Ohme J, Peine S, Sachs UJ, Schaade L, Schäfer R, Scheiblauer H, Schlaud M, Schmidt M, Umhau M, Vollmer T, Wagner FF, Wieler LH, Wilking H, Ziemann M, Zimmermann M, der Heiden MA. Monitoring the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Prevalence of Antibodies in a Large, Repetitive Cross-Sectional Study of Blood Donors in Germany—Results from the SeBluCo Study 2020–2022. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12040551. [PMID: 37111436 PMCID: PMC10144823 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12040551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance is important to adapt infection control measures and estimate the degree of underreporting. Blood donor samples can be used as a proxy for the healthy adult population. In a repeated cross-sectional study from April 2020 to April 2021, September 2021, and April/May 2022, 13 blood establishments collected 134,510 anonymised specimens from blood donors in 28 study regions across Germany. These were tested for antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and nucleocapsid, including neutralising capacity. Seroprevalence was adjusted for test performance and sampling and weighted for demographic differences between the sample and the general population. Seroprevalence estimates were compared to notified COVID-19 cases. The overall adjusted SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence remained below 2% until December 2020 and increased to 18.1% in April 2021, 89.4% in September 2021, and to 100% in April/May 2022. Neutralising capacity was found in 74% of all positive specimens until April 2021 and in 98% in April/May 2022. Our serosurveillance allowed for repeated estimations of underreporting from the early stage of the pandemic onwards. Underreporting ranged between factors 5.1 and 1.1 in the first two waves of the pandemic and remained well below 2 afterwards, indicating an adequate test strategy and notification system in Germany.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Offergeld
- Robert Koch Institute, Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Karina Preußel
- Robert Koch Institute, Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Zeiler
- German Red Cross Blood Service West, 58097 Hagen, Germany
| | - Konstanze Aurich
- Institute for Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Sauerbruchstrasse, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | | | - Sandra Ciesek
- Institute for Medical Virology, German Centre for Infection Research, External Partner Site Frankfurt, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, 39120 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Victor M. Corman
- Institute of Virology, German National Reference Laboratory for Coronavirus, Charité—University Medicine Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Christian Drosten
- Institute of Virology, German National Reference Laboratory for Coronavirus, Charité—University Medicine Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Siegfried Görg
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck/Kiel, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Andreas Greinacher
- Institute for Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Sauerbruchstrasse, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | | | | | - Hans-Gert Heuft
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohaematology/Blood Bank, University Hospital Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | - Peter A. Horn
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstraße 55, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | | | - Ilay Gülec
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology, German Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service Baden-Württemberg—Hessen, Sandhofstraße 1, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - David Juhl
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck/Kiel, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Monika Lindemann
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstraße 55, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Silke Martin
- Bavarian Red Cross Blood Service, Herzog-Heinrich-Str. 2, 80336 München, Germany
| | | | | | - Julia Ohme
- German Red Cross Blood Service NSTOB, Eldagsener Straße 38, 31832 Springe, Germany
| | - Sven Peine
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulrich J. Sachs
- Center for Transfusion Medicine and Haemotherapy, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, Langhansstr. 7, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Lars Schaade
- Robert Koch Institute, Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Richard Schäfer
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Gene Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Martin Schlaud
- Robert Koch Institute, Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Schmidt
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology, German Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service Baden-Württemberg—Hessen, Sandhofstraße 1, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Markus Umhau
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Gene Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Tanja Vollmer
- Heart and Diabetes Centre NRW, Institute for Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, 32545 Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
| | - Franz F. Wagner
- German Red Cross Blood Service NSTOB, Eldagsener Straße 38, 31832 Springe, Germany
| | | | | | - Malte Ziemann
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck/Kiel, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
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Neuhauser H, Rosario AS, Butschalowsky H, Haller S, Hoebel J, Michel J, Nitsche A, Poethko-Müller C, Prütz F, Schlaud M, Steinhauer HW, Wilking H, Wieler LH, Schaade L, Liebig S, Gößwald A, Grabka MM, Zinn S, Ziese T. Nationally representative results on SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and testing in Germany at the end of 2020. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19492. [PMID: 36376417 PMCID: PMC9662125 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23821-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pre-vaccine SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence data from Germany are scarce outside hotspots, and socioeconomic disparities remained largely unexplored. The nationwide representative RKI-SOEP study (15,122 participants, 18-99 years, 54% women) investigated seroprevalence and testing in a supplementary wave of the Socio-Economic-Panel conducted predominantly in October-November 2020. Self-collected oral-nasal swabs were PCR-positive in 0.4% and Euroimmun anti-SARS-CoV-2-S1-IgG ELISA from dry-capillary-blood antibody-positive in 1.3% (95% CI 0.9-1.7%, population-weighted, corrected for sensitivity = 0.811, specificity = 0.997). Seroprevalence was 1.7% (95% CI 1.2-2.3%) when additionally correcting for antibody decay. Overall infection prevalence including self-reports was 2.1%. We estimate 45% (95% CI 21-60%) undetected cases and lower detection in socioeconomically deprived districts. Prior SARS-CoV-2 testing was reported by 18% from the lower educational group vs. 25% and 26% from the medium and high educational group (p < 0.001, global test over three categories). Symptom-triggered test frequency was similar across educational groups. Routine testing was more common in low-educated adults, whereas travel-related testing and testing after contact with infected persons was more common in highly educated groups. This countrywide very low pre-vaccine seroprevalence in Germany at the end of 2020 can serve to evaluate the containment strategy. Our findings on social disparities indicate improvement potential in pandemic planning for people in socially disadvantaged circumstances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannelore Neuhauser
- Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, General-Pape-Str. 62-66, 12101, Berlin, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Hans W Steinhauer
- Socio-Economic Panel, German Institute for Economic Research, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Stefan Liebig
- Socio-Economic Panel, German Institute for Economic Research, Berlin, Germany
- SOEP & Department of Political and Social Sciences, Free University, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Markus M Grabka
- Socio-Economic Panel, German Institute for Economic Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sabine Zinn
- Socio-Economic Panel, German Institute for Economic Research, Berlin, Germany
- SOEP & Department of Social Sciences, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
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