Suchergebnisse

Background On October, 2020, after the first wave of COVID-19, only 8290 confirmed cases were reported in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, but the real prevalence remains unknown. To guide public health policies, we aimed to describe the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in the general population in Kinshasa. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, household-based serosurvey between October 22, 2020, and November 8, 2020. Participants were interviewed at home and tested for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid proteins in a Luminex based assay. A positive serology was defined as a sample that reacted with both SARS-CoV-2 proteins (100% sensitivity, 99.7% specificity). The overall weighted, age-standardized prevalence was estimated and the infection-to-case ratio was calculated to determine the proportion of undiagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infections. Results A total of 1233 participants from 292 households were included (mean age, 32.4 years; 764 [61.2%] were women). The overall weighted, age-standardized SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was 16.6% (95% CI 14.0-19.5). The estimated infection-to-case ratio was 292:1. Prevalence was higher among participants ≥ 40 years than among those ˂18 years (21.2% vs 14.9%, respectively; p˂0.05). It was also higher in participants who reported hospitalization than among those who did not (29.8% vs 16.0%, respectively; p˂0.05). However, differences were not significant in the multivariate model (p=0.1). Conclusion The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 is much higher than the number of COVID-19 cases reported. These results justify the organization of a sequential series of serosurveys by public health authorities to adapt response measures to the dynamics of the pandemic. ; Peer Reviewed

BACKGROUND: On October, 2020, after the first wave of COVID-19, only 8290 confirmed cases were reported in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, but the real prevalence remains unknown. To guide public health policies, we aimed to describe the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in the general population in Kinshasa. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, household-based serosurvey between October 22, 2020, and November 8, 2020. Participants were interviewed at home and tested for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid proteins in a Luminex based assay. A positive serology was defined as a sample that reacted with both SARS-CoV-2 proteins (100% sensitivity, 99.7% specificity). The overall weighted, age-standardized prevalence was estimated and the infection-to-case ratio was calculated to determine the proportion of undiagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infections. RESULTS: A total of 1233 participants from 292 households were included (mean age, 32.4 years; 764 [61.2%] were women). The overall weighted, age-standardized SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was 16.6% (95% CI 14.0-19.5). The estimated infection-to-case ratio was 292:1. Prevalence was higher among participants ≥ 40 years than among those ˂18 years (21.2% vs 14.9%, respectively; p˂0.05). It was also higher in participants who reported hospitalization than among those who did not (29.8% vs 16.0%, respectively; p˂0.05). However, differences were not significant in the multivariate model (p=0.1). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 is much higher than the number of COVID-19 cases reported. These results justify the organization of a sequential series of serosurveys by public health authorities to adapt response measures to the dynamics of the pandemic.

In 2014, Ebola virus (EBOV) was identified as the etiological agent of a large and still expanding outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa and a much more confined EVD outbreak in Middle Africa. Epidemiological and evolutionary analyses confirmed that all cases of both outbreaks are connected to a single introduction each of EBOV into human populations and that both outbreaks are not directly connected. Coding-complete genomic sequence analyses of isolates revealed that the two outbreaks were caused by two novel EBOV variants, and initial clinical observations suggest that neither of them should be considered strains. Here we present consensus decisions on naming for both variants (West Africa: "Makona", Middle Africa: "Lomela") and provide database-compatible full, shortened, and abbreviated names that are in line with recently established filovirus sub-species nomenclatures. ; This work was funded in part through Battelle Memorial Institute's prime contract with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under Contract No. HHSN272200700016I. ; http://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses ; hb2015

In 2014, Ebola virus (EBOV) was identified as the etiological agent of a large and still expanding outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa and a much more confined EVD outbreak in Middle Africa. Epidemiological and evolutionary analyses confirmed that all cases of both outbreaks are connected to a single introduction each of EBOV into human populations and that both outbreaks are not directly connected. Coding-complete genomic sequence analyses of isolates revealed that the two outbreaks were caused by two novel EBOV variants, and initial clinical observations suggest that neither of them should be considered strains. Here we present consensus decisions on naming for both variants (West Africa: "Makona", Middle Africa: "Lomela") and provide database-compatible full, shortened, and abbreviated names that are in line with recently established filovirus sub-species nomenclatures.