High Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG and RNA among Asymptomatic Blood Donors in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia
Kamal H. Alzabeedi,
Raafat T. M. Makhlof,
Rowaida A. Bakri,
Ashraf A. Ewis,
Heba W. Alhamdi,
Turki M. A. Habeebullah,
Asim A. Khogeer,
Eman A. A. Mulla,
Safiah A. M. Roshan,
Fadel H. Qabbani,
Fayez H. Hafez,
Rehab G. Alqurashi,
Muhammad O. Babalghaith,
Ahmad A. Ghouth,
Mohammed H. Alhazmi,
Othman M. Fallatah,
Saeed A. Badahdah,
Duaa I. A. Endergiri,
Boshra M. Albarakati,
Sayed F. Abdelwahab
Affiliations
Kamal H. Alzabeedi
Departments of Medical Research/Clinical Biochemistry, The Regional Laboratory, P.O. Box 55028, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Raafat T. M. Makhlof
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al Qura University, P.O. Box 715, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Rowaida A. Bakri
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al Qura University, P.O. Box 715, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Ashraf A. Ewis
Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences-AlQunfudah, Umm Al Qura University, Al Qunfudah 28821, Saudi Arabia
Heba W. Alhamdi
Department of Biology, College of Sciences, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 960, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia
Turki M. A. Habeebullah
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj Research, Umm Al Qura University, P.O. Box. 6287, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Asim A. Khogeer
Research Department, The Strategic Planning, General Directorate of Health Affairs Makkah Region, Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 6251, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Eman A. A. Mulla
Departments of Immunology, The Regional Laboratory, P.O. Box 55028, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Safiah A. M. Roshan
Departments of Serology, The Regional Laboratory, P.O. Box 55028, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Fadel H. Qabbani
Departments of Medical Research/Clinical Biochemistry, The Regional Laboratory, P.O. Box 55028, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Fayez H. Hafez
Departments of TB, The Regional Laboratory, P.O. Box 55028, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Rehab G. Alqurashi
Departments of Immunology, The Regional Laboratory, P.O. Box 55028, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad O. Babalghaith
Central Blood Bank, The Regional Laboratory, P.O. Box 55028, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Ahmad A. Ghouth
Central Blood Bank, The Regional Laboratory, P.O. Box 55028, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed H. Alhazmi
Central Blood Bank, The Regional Laboratory, P.O. Box 55028, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Othman M. Fallatah
Departments of Serology, The Regional Laboratory, P.O. Box 55028, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Saeed A. Badahdah
Departments of Serology, The Regional Laboratory, P.O. Box 55028, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Duaa I. A. Endergiri
Laboratory and Blood Bank, Al Noor Specialist Hospital, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Boshra M. Albarakati
Laboratory and Blood Bank, Al Noor Specialist Hospital, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Sayed F. Abdelwahab
Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
The gold-standard approach for diagnosing and confirming Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This method, however, is inefficient in detecting previous or dormant viral infections. The presence of antigen-specific antibodies is the fingerprint and cardinal sign for diagnosis and determination of exposure to infectious agents including Corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19). This cross-sectional study examined the presence of SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) among asymptomatic blood donors in Makkah region. A total of 4368 asymptomatic blood donors were enrolled. They were screened for spike-specific IgG using ELISA and COVID-19 RNA by real-time PCR. COVID-19 IgG was detected among 2248 subjects (51.5%) while COVID-19-RNA was detected among 473 (10.8%) subjects. The IgG frequency was significantly higher among males and non-Saudi residents (p p = 0.047, χ2 = 3.95), and non-Saudi residents (p = 0.001, χ2 = 304.5). The COVID-19 IgG levels were significantly higher among the RNA-positive donors (p = 001), and non-Saudi residents (p = 0.041), with no variations with age or blood group (p > 0.05). This study reveals a very high prevalence of COVID-19 IgG and RNA among asymptomatic blood donors in Makkah, Saudi Arabia indicating a high exposure rate of the general population to COVID-19; particularly foreign residents. It sheds light on the spread on COVID-19 among apparently healthy individuals at the beginning of the pandemic and could help in designing various control measures to minimize viral spread.
