PLoS ONE (Jan 2022)

High SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Karaganda, Kazakhstan before the launch of COVID-19 vaccination

  • Irina Kadyrova,
  • Sergey Yegorov,
  • Baurzhan Negmetzhanov,
  • Yevgeniya Kolesnikova,
  • Svetlana Kolesnichenko,
  • Ilya Korshukov,
  • Lyudmila Akhmaltdinova,
  • Dmitriy Vazenmiller,
  • Yelena Stupina,
  • Naylya Kabildina,
  • Assem Ashimova,
  • Aigul Raimbekova,
  • Anar Turmukhambetova,
  • Matthew S. Miller,
  • Gonzalo Hortelano,
  • Dmitriy Babenko

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 7

Abstract

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COVID-19 exposure in Central Asia appears underestimated and SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence data are urgently needed to inform ongoing vaccination efforts and other strategies to mitigate the regional pandemic. Here, in a pilot serologic study we assessed the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody-mediated immunity in a multi-ethnic cohort of public university employees in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Asymptomatic subjects (n = 100) were recruited prior to their first COVID-19 vaccination. Questionnaires were administered to capture a range of demographic and clinical characteristics. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected for SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR testing. Serological assays were performed to detect spike (S)-reactive IgG and IgA and to assess virus neutralization. Pre-pandemic samples were used to validate the assay positivity thresholds. S-IgG and -IgA seropositivity rates among SARS-CoV-2 PCR-negative participants (n = 100) were 42% (95% CI [32.2–52.3]) and 59% (95% CI [48.8–69.0]), respectively, and 64% (95% CI [53.4–73.1]) of the cohort tested positive for at least one of the antibodies. S-IgG titres correlated with virus neutralization activity, detectable in 49% of the tested subset with prior COVID-19 history. Serologically confirmed history of COVID-19 was associated with Kazakh ethnicity, but not with other ethnic minorities present in the cohort, and self-reported history of respiratory illness since March 2020. Overall, SARS-CoV-2 exposure in this cohort was ~15-fold higher compared to the reported all-time national and regional COVID-19 prevalence, consistent with recent studies of excess infection and death in Kazakhstan. Continuous serological surveillance provides important insights into COVID-19 transmission dynamics and may be used to better inform the regional public health response.