Emerging Infectious Diseases (Sep 2004)

SARS-CoV Antibody Prevalence in All Hong Kong Patient Contacts

  • Gabriel M. Leung,
  • Pui-Hong Chung,
  • Thomas Tsang,
  • Wilina Lim,
  • Steve K.K. Chan,
  • Patsy Chau,
  • Christl A. Donnelly,
  • Azra C. Ghani,
  • Christophe Fraser,
  • Steven Riley,
  • Neil M. Ferguson,
  • Roy M. Anderson,
  • Yuk-lung Law,
  • Tina Mok,
  • Tonny Ng,
  • Alex Fu,
  • Pak-Yin Leung,
  • J.S. Malik Peiris,
  • Tai-Hing Lam,
  • Anthony J. Hedley

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1009.040155
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 9
pp. 1653 – 1656

Abstract

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A total of 1,068 asymptomatic close contacts of patients with severe acute respiratory (SARS) from the 2003 epidemic in Hong Kong were serologically tested, and 2 (0.19%) were positive for SARS coronavirus immunoglobulin G antibody. SARS rarely manifests as a subclinical infection, and at present, wild animal species are the only important natural reservoirs of the virus.

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