A Cross-Sectional Study Revealed a Low Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection among Asymptomatic University Students in Tripoli, North Lebanon
Rayane Rafei,
Layla Tajer,
Dalal Nour,
Karen Abboud,
Dima Ankoud,
Marwan Osman,
Marielle Bedotto,
Mohamad Bachar Ismail,
Fouad Dabboussi,
Philippe Colson,
Monzer Hamze
Affiliations
Rayane Rafei
Laboratoire Microbiologie Santé et Environnement (LMSE), Doctoral School for Science & Technology, Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon
Layla Tajer
Laboratoire Microbiologie Santé et Environnement (LMSE), Doctoral School for Science & Technology, Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon
Dalal Nour
Laboratoire Microbiologie Santé et Environnement (LMSE), Doctoral School for Science & Technology, Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon
Karen Abboud
Laboratoire Microbiologie Santé et Environnement (LMSE), Doctoral School for Science & Technology, Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon
Dima Ankoud
Laboratoire Microbiologie Santé et Environnement (LMSE), Doctoral School for Science & Technology, Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon
Marwan Osman
Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
Marielle Bedotto
Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), 264 Rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France
Mohamad Bachar Ismail
Laboratoire Microbiologie Santé et Environnement (LMSE), Doctoral School for Science & Technology, Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon
Fouad Dabboussi
Laboratoire Microbiologie Santé et Environnement (LMSE), Doctoral School for Science & Technology, Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon
Philippe Colson
Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Aix-Marseille University, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France
Monzer Hamze
Laboratoire Microbiologie Santé et Environnement (LMSE), Doctoral School for Science & Technology, Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon
This study aimed to investigate the SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence among >18-year-old students in the Faculty of Public Health and Faculty of Sciences at the Lebanese University in Tripoli, Northern Lebanon, in June 2023 and to characterize the circulating Omicron subvariants. Out of 357 participants, only 2 (0.56%) tested positive by qPCR, corresponding to 0.61% (2/326) of asymptomatic students. One case tested positive with a qPCR targeting the Omicron BA.2 variant. These findings indicate a low incidence at that time and emphasize the interest of SARS-CoV-2 surveillance among students.
