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. 2023 Dec 19:11:1292932.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1292932. eCollection 2023.

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in pregnant women in Kilifi, Kenya from March 2020 to March 2022

Angela Koech #  1   2 , Geoffrey Omuse #  3 , Alex G Mugo  1 , Isaac G Mwaniki  1 , Joseph M Mutunga  1 , Moses W Mukhanya  1 , Onesmus Wanje  1 , Grace M Mwashigadi  1 , Geoffrey G Katana  4 , Rachel Craik  5 , Peter von Dadelszen  5   6 , Kirsty Le Doare  7 , Marleen Temmerman  1   2   6 ; periCOVID-Africa; PRECISE Network
Collaborators, Affiliations

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in pregnant women in Kilifi, Kenya from March 2020 to March 2022

Angela Koech et al. Front Public Health. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: Seroprevalence studies are an alternative approach to estimating the extent of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the evolution of the pandemic in different geographical settings. We aimed to determine the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence from March 2020 to March 2022 in a rural and urban setting in Kilifi County, Kenya.

Methods: We obtained representative random samples of stored serum from a pregnancy cohort study for the period March 2020 to March 2022 and tested for antibodies against the spike protein using a qualitative SARS-CoV-2 ELISA kit (Wantai, total antibodies). All positive samples were retested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid antibodies (Euroimmun, ELISA kits, NCP, qualitative, IgG) and anti-spike protein antibodies (Euroimmun, ELISA kits, QuantiVac; quantitative, IgG).

Results: A total of 2,495 (of 4,703 available) samples were tested. There was an overall trend of increasing seropositivity from a low of 0% [95% CI 0-0.06] in March 2020 to a high of 89.4% [95% CI 83.36-93.82] in Feb 2022. Of the Wantai test-positive samples, 59.7% [95% CI 57.06-62.34] tested positive by the Euroimmun anti-SARS-CoV-2 NCP test and 37.4% [95% CI 34.83-40.04] tested positive by the Euroimmun anti-SARS-CoV-2 QuantiVac test. No differences were observed between the urban and rural hospital but villages adjacent to the major highway traversing the study area had a higher seroprevalence.

Conclusion: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence rose rapidly, with most of the population exposed to SARS-CoV-2 within 23 months of the first cases. The high cumulative seroprevalence suggests greater population exposure to SARS-CoV-2 than that reported from surveillance data.

Keywords: COVID-19; Kenya; SARS-CoV-2; antibodies; pregnancy; seroprevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of Kaloleni and Rabai Sub-counties.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Study flow diagram showing sample selection for analysis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies by Wantai test between March 2020 and March 2022*. *No samples collected in April 2020 to July 2020. CI, Confidence Intervals.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Seropositivity by the three SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests between March 2020 and March 2022. Wantai–SARS-CoV-2 ELISA kit (Wantai). NCP–Euroimmun anti-SARS-CoV-2 NCP ELISA test. QuantiVac–Euroimmun anti-SARS-CoV-2 QuantiVac ELISA test. Samples were tested with NCP and QuantiVac tests only if Wantai test was positive.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Study Seroprevalence* superimposed on the number of new COVID-19 cases per day in Kenya**. *Proportion of SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity by Wantai test in each month. **Data on number of cases obtained from https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html (17). Events at time points 1 to 8 are described in Table 3.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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