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. 2022 Feb;50(1):257-262.
doi: 10.1007/s15010-021-01731-5. Epub 2021 Nov 25.

Age, COVID-19-like symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity profiles after the first wave of the pandemic in France

Fabrice Carrat  1 , Nathanael Lapidus  2 , Laetitia Ninove  3 , Hélène Blanché  4 , Delphine Rahib  5 , Paola Mariela Saba Villarroel  3 , Mathilde Touvier  6 , Gianluca Severi  7   8 , Marie Zins  9   10 , Jean-François Deleuze  4 , Xavier de Lamballerie  3 ; SAPRIS-SERO study group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Age, COVID-19-like symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity profiles after the first wave of the pandemic in France

Fabrice Carrat et al. Infection. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

Background: The interplay between age and symptoms intensity on antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection has not been studied in a general population setting.

Methods: We explored the serologic profile of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after the first wave of the pandemic, by assessing IgG against the spike protein (ELISA-S), IgG against the nucleocapsid protein (ELISA-NP) and neutralizing antibodies (SN) in 82,126 adults from a French population-based multi-cohort study.

Results: ELISA-S positivity was increased in 30- to 49-year-old adults (8.5%) compared to other age groups (5.6% in 20- to 29-year-olds, 2.8% in ≥ 50-year-olds). In the 3681 ELISA-S positive participants, ELISA-NP and SN positivity exhibited a U-shaped relationship with age, with a lower rate in 30- to 49-year-old adults, and was strongly associated with COVID-19-like symptoms.

Conclusion: Our study confirms the independent role of age and symptoms on the serologic profile of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, but the non-linear relationship with age deserves further investigation.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cohort; General population; Neutralizing antibodies; SARS-CoV-2; Serologic profile.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A Proportion of participants with positive ELISA IgG against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (ELISA-S—circle), with positive ELISA IgG against the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (ELISA-NP—square) and with positive neutralizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies test (SN—triangle), by age—France, May–September 2020; B Proportion of positive ELISA-NP and positive SN in ELISA-S-positive participants, by age; C Proportion of positive ELISA-NP and positive SN in ELISA-S-positive participants, by sampling months. Bars represent confidence intervals for proportions
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Scatter plot of quantitative serologic results in participants with positive ELISA IgG against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (ELISA-S) according to symptoms reported during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Each dot represents a triple measurement of ELISA-S, ELISA IgG against the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (ELISA-NP) and neutralizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (SN) in one participant with the dot color indicating the SN titer value. Dashed horizontal lines represent threshold limits for positive (1.1) and intermediate (0.8) results as per the manufacturer for ELISA-NP
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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