Prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in outpatients of a large public university hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Author(s):Show less -

Luanda Mara da Silva Oliveira ^[1] ; Bruna Tiaki Tiyo ^[2] ; Lais Teodoro da Silva ^[3] ; Luiz Augusto Marcondes Fonseca ^[4] ; Rosana Coura Rocha ^[5] ; Vera Aparecida dos Santos ^[6] ; Carina Ceneviva ^[7] ; Anderson Aparecido Bedin ^[8] ; Alexandre de Almeida ^[9] ; Alberto José da Silva Duarte ; Telma Miyuki Oshiro ^[11]

Affiliation:Show less -

^[1] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil

^[2] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil

^[3] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil

^[4] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil

^[5] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil

^[6] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil

^[7] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil

^[8] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil

^[9] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil

^[11] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo; v. 62, 2020-11-13.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is caused by SARS-Cov-2 and the manifestations of this infection range from an absence of symptoms all the way up to severe disease leading to death. To estimate the prevalence of past infection in a population, the most readily available method is the detection of antibodies against the virus. This study has investigated the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in outpatients of the Hospital das Clinicas, in Sao Paulo city (Brazil), which is a large university hospital belonging to the public health system that cares for patients with complex diseases who need tertiary or quaternary medical care. Our serological inquiry was carried out for 6 weeks, with once-a-week blood sampling and included 439 patients from several outpatient services. Overall, 61 patients tested positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG (13.9%); 56.1 % of the patients live in Sao Paulo city, with the remaining living in other towns of the metropolitan area; 32.8% of the patients testing positive for IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were asymptomatic, 55.7% developed mild or moderate disease and 11.5% had to be hospitalized. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 positive serology was lower among patients who had received the seasonal influenza vaccine compared to the ones who did not. These findings may indicate that those individuals care more about health issues, and/or that they have a better access to health care and/or a better quality of health care service. The large proportion of patients who were unaware of having had contact with SARS-CoV-2 deserves attention, reflecting the scarcity of tests performed in the population. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/07976-0 - Obtaining, characterization and loading of autologous virus by aDC1 dendritic cells for immunotherapy anti-HIV
• Grantee: Luanda Mara da Silva Oliveira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 16/25212-9 - Therapeutic vaccine based on aDC1 dendritic cells pulsed with inactivated autologous virus for the control of viremia after ATI in HIV infected individuals
• Grantee: Alberto José da Silva Duarte
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/12460-0 - Production and characterization of polarized dendritic cells aDC1 for use in anti-HIV immunotherapy
• Grantee: Laís Teodoro da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral