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Observational Study
. 2023 Jan;160(1):74-78.
doi: 10.1002/ijgo.14189. Epub 2022 Apr 16.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among first-trimester pregnant women during the second wave of the pandemic in India

Kandala Aparna Sharma  1 , Nilanchali Singh  1 , Sara Hillman  2 , Purva Mathur  3 , Kapil Yadav  4 , Anapti Garg  1 , Vatsla Dadhwal  1 , Neerja Bhatla  1
Affiliations
Observational Study

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among first-trimester pregnant women during the second wave of the pandemic in India

Kandala Aparna Sharma et al. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2023 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: Data on the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy are lacking and the potential role and effect of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnancy is yet to be completely investigated.

Method: This is a cross-sectional observational study wherein pregnant women were tested for SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G levels, irrespective of their infective status or presence or symptomatology.

Result: Of the 220 pregnant women tested, 160 (72.7%) were SARS-CoV-2 IgG positive, 37 (16.8%) were SARS-CoV-2 IgM positive and 27 (16.9%) were both IgG and IgM positive. The average antibody titer found was 10.49 BAU/ml (±14.0) and 0.6 (±0.55) for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM non neutralizing antibodies respectively. ROC analysis for SARS-CoV-2 IgG positivity showed a cut-off value of 1.19 with a sensitivity of 99.3% (0.99 AUC, 95% CI) and specificity of 98.3% (0.99 AUC, 95% CI), respectively. Similarly, ROC analysis for SARS-CoV-2 IgM positivity showed a cut-off value of 1 with a sensitivity of 97.3% (0.99 AUC, 95% CI) and specificity of 98.9% (0.99 AUC, 95% CI), respectively.

Conclusion: First trimester sero-molecular screening suggests a high prevalence of COVID antibodies in the study population of pregnant women in the first trimester, without the patients being symptomatic.

Keywords: COVID; SARS-CoV-2; first trimester; pandemic; pregnancy; seroprevalence; wave.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Distribution of IgG and IgM levels in pregnant women in their first trimester, during the second wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Delhi, India
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
ROC analysis for serum IgG levels among pregnant women in their first trimester
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
ROC analysis for serum IgM levels among pregnant women in their first trimester
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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