Lower seroprevalence for SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies among kidney transplant recipients compared to the general population in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Transpl Infect Dis
; 23(5): e13706, 2021 Oct.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1331786
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Kidney transplant recipients have higher COVID-19 associated mortality compared to the general population. However, as only symptomatic patients seek medical attention, the current level of exposure, the main sources of acquisition, and the behavior of humoral immunity over time are poorly understood.METHODS:
This cross-sectional prospective single-center study recruited kidney transplant recipients of any age living in Sao Paulo. A sample size of 401 patients was calculated considering the 17.2% seroprevalence in the municipality population from a published survey, a 95% confidence interval and an absolute error of 2%.RESULTS:
Of the 2636 eligible patients, 416 were included. The seroprevalence for IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 was 8.2%. Seroconversion rate decreased with increasing age, from 15.7% (18-35 years) to 8.3% (36-60 years) and 4.2% (>60 years, p = 0.042). Seropositivity among previously confirmed COVID-19 patients was 68.4%, followed by 9.4% in those with flu-like symptoms and only 4.6% among asymptomatic patients (p < 0.0001). Seroprevalence was significantly higher among patients reporting household contact (p = 0.018). Twenty-seven from the 34 IgG+ patients had a second test after 59 (IQR 50-63) days, and, in 33%, the IgG index became below the positivity threshold.CONCLUSIONS:
In this cohort of kidney transplant recipients, the seroprevalence for IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 was lower than that of the general population, decreased with ageing, and was associated with household contacts. In a considerable proportion of the patients, there was a significant decay in the IgG levels in a short period of time. Therefore, preventive strategies, such as prioritization for vaccination, should be urgently considered.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Kidney Transplantation
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Topics:
Vaccines
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Humans
/
Young adult
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Brazil
Language:
English
Journal:
Transpl Infect Dis
Journal subject:
Transplantation
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Tid.13706
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