RESEARCH PAPER
Cross-sectional assessment of a history of SARS-CoV-2 infections using IgG
 
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1
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland
 
2
School of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury, Poland
 
3
Department of Rehabilitation and Orthopedics, School of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, University Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland
 
4
Department of Surgery, School of Public Health, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland
 
5
Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland
 
6
Institute for Research in Ophthalmology, Foundation for Ophthalmology Development, Poznan, Poland
 
 
Submission date: 2022-07-29
 
 
Final revision date: 2023-02-21
 
 
Acceptance date: 2023-02-21
 
 
Online publication date: 2023-10-17
 
 
Corresponding author
Dominika Rozmus   

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
 
 
Pol. Ann. Med. 2023;30(2):91-95
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Severe acute respiratory syndrome, coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global threat for every healthcare system, and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in over 3 million deaths worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 brings symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, headache, sore throat and loss of taste or smell. Diagnostic of COVID-19 may include specific RT-PCR for viral ribonucleic acid detection, and ELISA testing for virus-derived spike protein or nucleocapsid.

Aim:
The aim of this study was to measure the antinucleocapsid level of SARS-CoV-2 IgG to identify the number of asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 after infection in a population of workers from a production company.

Material and methods:
Human anti-SARS-CoV-2(N) IgG ELISA kit was used to determine serum IgG level. Study includes 107 individuals (48% female, 52% male) in different ages (18–60 years).

Results and discussion:
Of 107 tested individuals in 80 (74.7%) cases SARS-CoV-2(N)-specific IgG antibodies were detected, with an average antibody concentration of the whole study group 4.08 µg/mL (n = 107 with the range 0.59–7.91 µg/mL; n = 80 were included in the study with the sensitivity of the method above 2.344 µg/mL). In only 9 cases, SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed before using the PCR test. Our data underscore the need for a population study in Poland to test the proportion of asymptomatic IgG positive for SARS-CoV-2 individuals.

Conclusions:
This study indicates that within studied sample large proportion of asymptomatic people have undergone SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggests that isolation of only symptomatic patients would not stop the transmission of the virus.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are grateful to Mr. Mirosław Żywicki for his support in this study.
FUNDING
This research received no external funding.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Authors declare no conflict of interests.
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