Institute of Medical Sociology, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Central Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Heinrich Heine University, University Hospital, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Public Health. 2022 Jun;207:54-61. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2022.03.009. Epub 2022 Mar 23.
Most SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence studies have focussed on adults and high-risk populations, and little is known about young adults. The objective of the present study was to provide evidence on the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among young adults in Germany and to explore determinants associated with seropositivity in general and, specifically, with previously undetected infections.
This was a population-based SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study.
In November 2020, a population-based study on SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in young adults (aged 18-30 years) was conducted in a large German city. Serum samples were obtained to analyse the SARS-CoV-2 antibody status using the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay. Descriptive statistics and odds ratios (ORs) of seropositivity and of previously undetected infections in relation to different determinants were calculated.
Among 2186 participants, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected in 72 individuals, equalling a test performance-adjusted seroprevalence of 3.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.4-4.0). Based on reported COVID-19 cases to the public health authority, a moderate underascertainment rate of 1.7 was calculated. Seropositivity was higher among individuals who sought COVID-19-related information from social media (OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.2-3.1), and undetected COVID-19 infections were more prevalent among men and those not adhering to social distancing.
The results show a substantial underascertainment of SARS-CoV-2 infections among young adults and indicate that seroprevalence is likely to be much higher than the reported COVID-19 prevalence based on confirmed COVID-19 cases in Germany. Preventive efforts should consider the heterogeneity of risk profiles among the young adult population.
大多数 SARS-CoV-2 血清流行率研究都集中在成年人和高危人群，而对年轻人知之甚少。本研究的目的是提供德国年轻人中 SARS-CoV-2 血清流行率的证据，并探讨与血清阳性率相关的决定因素，特别是与先前未检测到的感染相关的决定因素。
这是一项基于人群的 SARS-CoV-2 血清流行率研究。
2020 年 11 月，在德国一个大城市对年轻人（18-30 岁）进行了一项基于人群的 SARS-CoV-2 血清流行率研究。采集血清样本，使用 Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 免疫分析检测 SARS-CoV-2 抗体状态。计算了不同因素与血清阳性率和先前未检测到的感染的比值比（OR）。
在 2186 名参与者中，有 72 人检测到 SARS-CoV-2 抗体，经检测性能调整后的血清流行率为 3.1%（95%置信区间[CI]：2.4-4.0）。根据向公共卫生当局报告的 COVID-19 病例，计算出适度的低估率为 1.7。在从社交媒体获取 COVID-19 相关信息的个体中，血清阳性率较高（OR：1.83，95% CI：1.2-3.1），而未检测到的 COVID-19 感染在男性和不遵守社交距离的人群中更为普遍。
研究结果表明，年轻人中 SARS-CoV-2 感染的大量漏诊，表明血清流行率可能远高于德国基于确诊 COVID-19 病例报告的 COVID-19 流行率。预防措施应考虑到年轻人群体风险特征的异质性。
