Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among Children Visiting a Tertiary Hospital during the Prevaccination Period, Southwest Region, Saudi Arabia
Background: In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, tests to ascertain whether individuals were infected with SARS-CoV-2 were often unavailable. One method to deal with this issue is to test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. This study sought to determine the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in children in...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/8/1344 |
| _version_ | 1797441423189999616 |
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| author | Ali Alsuheel Asseri Abdullah Alsabaani |
| author_facet | Ali Alsuheel Asseri Abdullah Alsabaani |
| author_sort | Ali Alsuheel Asseri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, tests to ascertain whether individuals were infected with SARS-CoV-2 were often unavailable. One method to deal with this issue is to test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. This study sought to determine the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in children in Saudi Arabia before vaccines were available to them. Methods: This study was conducted among children who visited the tertiary Maternity and Children Hospital in Abha city, Saudi Arabia. Serum samples were screened for SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies using ELISA. The crude and adjusted seroprevalence values among the studied children were calculated. Results: Among the 413 children studied, the ages of enrolled patients ranged from newborn to 12 years, with a median age of three years. We identified 127 (30.7%) seropositive children. IgG was exclusively positive in 43 (10.4%); IgM was exclusively positive in 8 (1.9%), and IgA was exclusively positive in 15 (3.6%) children. Conclusions: This study is the first to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among the pediatric population seeking medical care in southwestern Saudi Arabia. The findings shed light on the dynamics of virus transmission in the community and provide a good reference for future studies. Future research should examine factors related to SARS-CoV-2 infection and seroprevalence among pediatric populations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:23:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-72d6653860284080a0aa58752183eb62 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:23:46Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-72d6653860284080a0aa58752183eb622023-11-30T22:37:41ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2022-08-01108134410.3390/vaccines10081344Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among Children Visiting a Tertiary Hospital during the Prevaccination Period, Southwest Region, Saudi ArabiaAli Alsuheel Asseri0Abdullah Alsabaani1Department of Child Health, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi ArabiaBackground: In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, tests to ascertain whether individuals were infected with SARS-CoV-2 were often unavailable. One method to deal with this issue is to test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. This study sought to determine the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in children in Saudi Arabia before vaccines were available to them. Methods: This study was conducted among children who visited the tertiary Maternity and Children Hospital in Abha city, Saudi Arabia. Serum samples were screened for SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies using ELISA. The crude and adjusted seroprevalence values among the studied children were calculated. Results: Among the 413 children studied, the ages of enrolled patients ranged from newborn to 12 years, with a median age of three years. We identified 127 (30.7%) seropositive children. IgG was exclusively positive in 43 (10.4%); IgM was exclusively positive in 8 (1.9%), and IgA was exclusively positive in 15 (3.6%) children. Conclusions: This study is the first to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among the pediatric population seeking medical care in southwestern Saudi Arabia. The findings shed light on the dynamics of virus transmission in the community and provide a good reference for future studies. Future research should examine factors related to SARS-CoV-2 infection and seroprevalence among pediatric populations.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/8/1344childrenCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2seroprevalenceCOVID-19 serological testing |
| spellingShingle | Ali Alsuheel Asseri Abdullah Alsabaani Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among Children Visiting a Tertiary Hospital during the Prevaccination Period, Southwest Region, Saudi Arabia Vaccines children COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence COVID-19 serological testing |
| title | Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among Children Visiting a Tertiary Hospital during the Prevaccination Period, Southwest Region, Saudi Arabia |
| title_full | Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among Children Visiting a Tertiary Hospital during the Prevaccination Period, Southwest Region, Saudi Arabia |
| title_fullStr | Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among Children Visiting a Tertiary Hospital during the Prevaccination Period, Southwest Region, Saudi Arabia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among Children Visiting a Tertiary Hospital during the Prevaccination Period, Southwest Region, Saudi Arabia |
| title_short | Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among Children Visiting a Tertiary Hospital during the Prevaccination Period, Southwest Region, Saudi Arabia |
| title_sort | seroprevalence of sars cov 2 among children visiting a tertiary hospital during the prevaccination period southwest region saudi arabia |
| topic | children COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence COVID-19 serological testing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/8/1344 |
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