SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Post-First Wave among Primary Care Physicians in Catania (Italy)

Ledda, Caterina; Carrasi, Flavia; Longombardo, Maria Teresa; Paravizzini, Gianluca; Rapisarda, Venerando

doi:10.3390/tropicalmed6010021

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…It is unclear whether this was due to an attenuation of viral pathogenicity, to environmental factors or to population characteristics. Whilst the reported low number of deaths due to COVID-19 in our region cannot cause a reduction in the number of subjects with the “unfavorable” genotype, a further unfavorable evolution of the pandemics would possibly cause a reduction in the number of subjects carrying it ( Ledda et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

PNPLA3 and TLL-1 Polymorphisms as Potential Predictors of Disease Severity in Patients With COVID-19

Grimaudo

Amodio

Pipitone

et al. 2021

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.

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Albeit the pathogenesis of COVID-19 remains unclear, host’s genetic polymorphisms in genes involved in infection and reinfection, inflammation, or immune stimulation could play a role in determining the course and outcome. We studied in the early phase of pandemic consecutive patients (N = 383) with SARS-CoV-2 infection, whose subsequent clinical course was classified as mild or severe, the latter being characterized by admission to intensive therapy unit or death. Five host gene polymorphisms (MERTK rs4374383, PNPLA3 rs738409, TLL-1 rs17047200, IFNL3 rs1297860, and INFL4 rs368234815) were assessed by using whole nucleic acids extracted from nasopharyngeal swabs. Specific protease cleavage sites of TLL-1 on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein were predicted in silico. Male subjects and older patients were significantly at higher risk for a severe outcome (p = 0.02 and p < 0.001, respectively). By considering patients ≤65 years, after adjusting for potential confounding due to sex, an increased risk of severe outcome was found in subjects with the GG genotype of PNPLA3 (adj-OR: 4.69; 95% CI = 1.01–22.04) or TT genotype of TLL-1 (adj-OR=9.1; 95% CI = 1.45–57.3). In silico evaluation showed that TLL-1 is potentially involved in the Spike protein cleavage which is essential for viral binding and entry into the host cells using the host receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Subjects carrying a GG genotype in PNPLA3 gene might have a constitutive upregulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and be more prone to tissue damage when infected by SARS-CoV-2. The TT genotype in TLL-1 gene might affect its protease activity on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, enhancing the ability to infect or re-infect host’s cells. The untoward effect of these variants on disease course is evident in younger patients due to the relative absence of comorbidities as determinants of prognosis. In the unresolved pathogenetic scenery of COVID-19, the identification of genetic variants associates with more prolonged course or with a severe outcome of infection would support the development of predictive tools useful to stratify subjects by risk class at presentation. Moreover, the individuation of key genes could contribute to a better understanding of the pathways involved in the pathogenesis, giving the basis for rational therapeutic approaches.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

PNPLA3 and TLL-1 Polymorphisms as Potential Predictors of Disease Severity in Patients With COVID-19

Grimaudo

Amodio

Pipitone

et al. 2021

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Many seroprevalence studies on SARS-CoV-2 have been conducted. At first, they were carried out to estimate the prevalence among HCP [59][60][61][62]. After vaccination, several studies were carried out in order to provide indications on the presence of antibodies after vaccination and the dosages were repeated over time [63][64][65][66][67].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Breakthrough Infections in Fully Vaccinated Healthcare Personnel: A Systematic Review

et al. 2022

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The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 increases worldwide every day; however, it is important to study the risk of breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals at high risk of exposure such as healthcare personnel (HCP). A systematic literature review (SLR) applying the PRISMA declaration and the PECOS format using the following entry terms was used: “Health Personnel OR Healthcare Worker OR Healthcare Provider OR Healthcare Personnel AND breakthrough OR infection after vaccine*”. The research was carried out utilizing the following databases: SCOPUS, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Sciences. An overall very low incidence of post-vaccination breakthrough infections was found, ranging from 0.011 to 0.001 (per 100 individuals at risk). Our findings further support the published high effectiveness rates of mRNA vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections among fully vaccinated HCP. Additional studies are needed to define the duration of the vaccine-induced protection among HCP.

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“…in comparison to pulmonologists), they do bear the brunt of an epidemic from frequent contacts with patients in less secure circumstances (8). Therefore, preserving the capacity of GPs and their co-workers throughout the COVID-19 epidemic is essential (9). This is particularly the case in Belgium where the PHCPs workforce consists of older adults (mean age = 55) who are at higher risk for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality (10).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospective SARS-CoV-2 cohort study among primary health care providers during the second COVID-19 wave in Flanders, Belgium

et al. 2021

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Background Primary health care providers (PHCPs) are assumed to be at high risk of a COVID-19 infection, as they are exposed to patients with usually less personal protective equipment (PPE) than other frontline health care workers (HCWs). Nevertheless, current research efforts focussed on the assessment of COVID-19 seroprevalence rates in the general population or hospital HCWs. Objective We aimed to determine the seroprevalence in PHCPs during the second SARS-CoV-2 wave in Flanders (Belgium) and compared it to the seroprevalence in the general population. We also assessed risk factors, availability of PPE and attitudes towards the government guidelines over time. Methods A prospective cohort of PHCPs (n = 698), mainly general practitioners, was asked to complete a questionnaire and self-sample capillary blood by finger-pricking at five distinct points in time (June–December 2020). We analysed the dried blood spots for IgG antibodies using a Luminex multiplex immunoassay. Results The seroprevalence of PHCPs remained stable between June and September (4.6–5.0%), increased significantly from October to December (8.1–13.4%) and was significantly higher than the seroprevalence of the general population. The majority of PHCPs were concerned about becoming infected, had adequate PPE and showed increasing confidence in government guidelines. Conclusions The marked increase in seroprevalence during the second COVID-19 wave shows that PHCPs were more at risk during the second wave compared to the first wave in Flanders. This increase was only slightly higher in PHCPs than in the general population suggesting that the occupational health measures implemented provided sufficient protection when managing patients.

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SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Post-First Wave among Primary Care Physicians in Catania (Italy)

Cited by 12 publications

References 22 publications

PNPLA3 and TLL-1 Polymorphisms as Potential Predictors of Disease Severity in Patients With COVID-19

PNPLA3 and TLL-1 Polymorphisms as Potential Predictors of Disease Severity in Patients With COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Breakthrough Infections in Fully Vaccinated Healthcare Personnel: A Systematic Review

Prospective SARS-CoV-2 cohort study among primary health care providers during the second COVID-19 wave in Flanders, Belgium

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