Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity Among Medical Students in Copenhagen.
Open Forum Infect Dis
; 8(8): ofab273, 2021 Aug.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1501104
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Health care workers are at a higher risk of getting infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) than the general population. Knowledge about medical students' exposure to SARS-CoV-2 is lacking. Thus, we measured the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in a cohort of Danish medical students.METHODS:
We invited all medical students at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) to participate. Students underwent venous blood sampling and a questionnaire about work-life behaviors possibly associated with SARS-CoV-2 exposure and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms. Samples were analyzed for total immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, and seropositive samples were screened for IgG, immunoglobulin M, and immunoglobulin A antibodies. We determined associations between seropositivity and clinical and social activities and self-reported symptoms.RESULTS:
Between October 19 and 26, 1120 students participated in the questionnaire and 1096 were included. Of all included, 379 (34.58%) were seropositive. Seropositivity was associated with attendance at 2 parties at UCPH, on February 29 and March 6, 2020 (odds ratio [OR], 5.96; 95% CI, 4.34-8.24; Pâ <â .001). Four hundred sixty-one students (42.06%) worked with COVID-19 patients, which was significantly associated with seropositivity (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.03-1.85; Pâ =â .033). The symptom most associated with seropositivity was loss of smell and/or taste (nâ =â 183 of all, 31.35%; OR, 24.48; 95% CI, 15.49-40.60; Pâ <â .001). Bachelor's students were significantly more likely to be seropositive than Master's students (42.28% vs 16.87%; Pâ <â .001).CONCLUSIONS:
Medical students have the highest reported seropositivity in the Danish health care system. In this cohort of students at UCPH, seropositivity was associated with social behavior markers and, to a lesser extent, with self-reported contact with SARS-CoV-2-infected patients.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Journal:
Open Forum Infect Dis
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ofid
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