Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission
Significant differences exist in the availability of healthcare worker (HCW) SARS-CoV-2 testing between countries, and existing programmes focus on screening symptomatic rather than asymptomatic staff. Over a 3 week period (April 2020), 1032 asymptomatic HCWs were screened for SARS-CoV-2 in a large...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2020-05-01
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| Series: | eLife |
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| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/58728 |
| _version_ | 1811228075725160448 |
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| author | Lucy Rivett Sushmita Sridhar Dominic Sparkes Matthew Routledge Nick K Jones Sally Forrest Jamie Young Joana Pereira-Dias William L Hamilton Mark Ferris M Estee Torok Luke Meredith The CITIID-NIHR COVID-19 BioResource Collaboration Martin D Curran Stewart Fuller Afzal Chaudhry Ashley Shaw Richard J Samworth John R Bradley Gordon Dougan Kenneth GC Smith Paul J Lehner Nicholas J Matheson Giles Wright Ian G Goodfellow Stephen Baker Michael P Weekes |
| author_facet | Lucy Rivett Sushmita Sridhar Dominic Sparkes Matthew Routledge Nick K Jones Sally Forrest Jamie Young Joana Pereira-Dias William L Hamilton Mark Ferris M Estee Torok Luke Meredith The CITIID-NIHR COVID-19 BioResource Collaboration Martin D Curran Stewart Fuller Afzal Chaudhry Ashley Shaw Richard J Samworth John R Bradley Gordon Dougan Kenneth GC Smith Paul J Lehner Nicholas J Matheson Giles Wright Ian G Goodfellow Stephen Baker Michael P Weekes |
| author_sort | Lucy Rivett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Significant differences exist in the availability of healthcare worker (HCW) SARS-CoV-2 testing between countries, and existing programmes focus on screening symptomatic rather than asymptomatic staff. Over a 3 week period (April 2020), 1032 asymptomatic HCWs were screened for SARS-CoV-2 in a large UK teaching hospital. Symptomatic staff and symptomatic household contacts were additionally tested. Real-time RT-PCR was used to detect viral RNA from a throat+nose self-swab. 3% of HCWs in the asymptomatic screening group tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. 17/30 (57%) were truly asymptomatic/pauci-symptomatic. 12/30 (40%) had experienced symptoms compatible with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)>7 days prior to testing, most self-isolating, returning well. Clusters of HCW infection were discovered on two independent wards. Viral genome sequencing showed that the majority of HCWs had the dominant lineage B∙1. Our data demonstrates the utility of comprehensive screening of HCWs with minimal or no symptoms. This approach will be critical for protecting patients and hospital staff. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T09:52:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cc538b51221c425e9c7cee66c061f849 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T09:52:23Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-cc538b51221c425e9c7cee66c061f8492022-12-22T03:37:47ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2020-05-01910.7554/eLife.58728Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmissionLucy Rivett0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2781-9345Sushmita Sridhar1Dominic Sparkes2Matthew Routledge3Nick K Jones4Sally Forrest5Jamie Young6Joana Pereira-Dias7William L Hamilton8Mark Ferris9M Estee Torok10Luke Meredith11The CITIID-NIHR COVID-19 BioResource CollaborationMartin D Curran12Stewart Fuller13Afzal Chaudhry14Ashley Shaw15Richard J Samworth16John R Bradley17Gordon Dougan18Kenneth GC Smith19Paul J Lehner20https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9383-1054Nicholas J Matheson21https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3318-1851Giles Wright22Ian G Goodfellow23https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9483-510XStephen Baker24Michael P Weekes25https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3196-5545Department of Infectious Diseases, Cambridge University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Clinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, Public Health England, Cambridge, United KingdomWellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom; Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Cambridge University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Clinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, Public Health England, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Cambridge University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Clinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, Public Health England, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Cambridge University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Clinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, Public Health England, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomAcademic Department of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Cambridge University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Clinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, Public Health England, Cambridge, United KingdomOccupational Health and Wellbeing, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United KingdomCambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Microbiology, Cambridge University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United KingdomDivision of Virology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomClinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, Public Health England, Cambridge, United KingdomNational Institutes for Health Research Cambridge, Clinical Research Facility, Cambridge, United KingdomCambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United KingdomNational Institutes for Health Research Cambridge, Clinical Research Facility, Cambridge, United KingdomStatistical Laboratory, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; National Institutes for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Cambridge University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Cambridge University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; NHS Blood and Transplant, Cambridge, United KingdomOccupational Health and Wellbeing, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United KingdomDivision of Virology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Cambridge University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomSignificant differences exist in the availability of healthcare worker (HCW) SARS-CoV-2 testing between countries, and existing programmes focus on screening symptomatic rather than asymptomatic staff. Over a 3 week period (April 2020), 1032 asymptomatic HCWs were screened for SARS-CoV-2 in a large UK teaching hospital. Symptomatic staff and symptomatic household contacts were additionally tested. Real-time RT-PCR was used to detect viral RNA from a throat+nose self-swab. 3% of HCWs in the asymptomatic screening group tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. 17/30 (57%) were truly asymptomatic/pauci-symptomatic. 12/30 (40%) had experienced symptoms compatible with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)>7 days prior to testing, most self-isolating, returning well. Clusters of HCW infection were discovered on two independent wards. Viral genome sequencing showed that the majority of HCWs had the dominant lineage B∙1. Our data demonstrates the utility of comprehensive screening of HCWs with minimal or no symptoms. This approach will be critical for protecting patients and hospital staff.https://elifesciences.org/articles/58728COVID-19SARS-CoV-2infectious diseasevirologyoccupational healthemerging pathogens |
| spellingShingle | Lucy Rivett Sushmita Sridhar Dominic Sparkes Matthew Routledge Nick K Jones Sally Forrest Jamie Young Joana Pereira-Dias William L Hamilton Mark Ferris M Estee Torok Luke Meredith The CITIID-NIHR COVID-19 BioResource Collaboration Martin D Curran Stewart Fuller Afzal Chaudhry Ashley Shaw Richard J Samworth John R Bradley Gordon Dougan Kenneth GC Smith Paul J Lehner Nicholas J Matheson Giles Wright Ian G Goodfellow Stephen Baker Michael P Weekes Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission eLife COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 infectious disease virology occupational health emerging pathogens |
| title | Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission |
| title_full | Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission |
| title_fullStr | Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission |
| title_full_unstemmed | Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission |
| title_short | Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission |
| title_sort | screening of healthcare workers for sars cov 2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in covid 19 transmission |
| topic | COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 infectious disease virology occupational health emerging pathogens |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/58728 |
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