Detection of IgM, IgG and SARS-CoV-2 RNA among the personnel of the University of Milan, March through May 2020: the UNICORN study

Objectives In Italy, the pandemic of COVID-19 resulted in congestion of hospitals and laboratories and probably determined an underestimation of the number of infected subjects, as the molecular diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was mainly performed on hospitalised patients. Therefore, limited data...

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Main Authors: Michele Carugno, Valentina Bollati, Letizia Tarantini, Laura Dioni, Luca Ferrari, Matteo Bonzini, Angela Cecilia Pesatori, Serena Marchi, Emanuele Montomoli, Claudia Maria Trombetta, Tommaso Schioppo, Carlo La Vecchia, Simona Iodice, Mirjam Hoxha, Jacopo Mariani, Gregorio Paolo Milani, Federica Rota, Chiara Favero, Alessandro Manenti, Elena Pariani, Benedetta Albetti, Claudio Bandi, Tommaso Bellini, Marco Buscaglia, Carlo Cantarella, Laura Cantone, Sergio Casartelli, Sarah D’Alessandro, Francesca De Chiara, Serena Delbue, Ivano Eberini, Monica Ferraroni, Laura Galastri, Cristina Galli, Chiara Macchi, Ilaria Manini, Massimiliano Ruscica, Marco Vicenzi, Giuliano Zanchetta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2021-03-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/3/e046800.full
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author Michele Carugno
Valentina Bollati
Letizia Tarantini
Laura Dioni
Luca Ferrari
Matteo Bonzini
Angela Cecilia Pesatori
Serena Marchi
Emanuele Montomoli
Claudia Maria Trombetta
Tommaso Schioppo
Carlo La Vecchia
Simona Iodice
Mirjam Hoxha
Jacopo Mariani
Gregorio Paolo Milani
Federica Rota
Chiara Favero
Alessandro Manenti
Elena Pariani
Benedetta Albetti
Claudio Bandi
Tommaso Bellini
Marco Buscaglia
Carlo Cantarella
Laura Cantone
Sergio Casartelli
Sarah D’Alessandro
Francesca De Chiara
Serena Delbue
Ivano Eberini
Monica Ferraroni
Laura Galastri
Cristina Galli
Chiara Macchi
Ilaria Manini
Massimiliano Ruscica
Marco Vicenzi
Giuliano Zanchetta
author_facet Michele Carugno
Valentina Bollati
Letizia Tarantini
Laura Dioni
Luca Ferrari
Matteo Bonzini
Angela Cecilia Pesatori
Serena Marchi
Emanuele Montomoli
Claudia Maria Trombetta
Tommaso Schioppo
Carlo La Vecchia
Simona Iodice
Mirjam Hoxha
Jacopo Mariani
Gregorio Paolo Milani
Federica Rota
Chiara Favero
Alessandro Manenti
Elena Pariani
Benedetta Albetti
Claudio Bandi
Tommaso Bellini
Marco Buscaglia
Carlo Cantarella
Laura Cantone
Sergio Casartelli
Sarah D’Alessandro
Francesca De Chiara
Serena Delbue
Ivano Eberini
Monica Ferraroni
Laura Galastri
Cristina Galli
Chiara Macchi
Ilaria Manini
Massimiliano Ruscica
Marco Vicenzi
Giuliano Zanchetta
author_sort Michele Carugno
collection DOAJ
description Objectives In Italy, the pandemic of COVID-19 resulted in congestion of hospitals and laboratories and probably determined an underestimation of the number of infected subjects, as the molecular diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was mainly performed on hospitalised patients. Therefore, limited data are available about the number of asymptomatic/paucisymptomatic subjects in the general population across time. To understand SARS-CoV-2 infection in the general population, we have developed a cross-sectional study (the ‘UNIversity against CORoNavirus study’) to investigate infection trends in asymptomatic/paucisymptomatic subjects in Milan (Italy), between March and June 2020.Participants The study population included 2023 subjects asymptomatic at the enrolment.Primary outcome measures A nasal mid-turbinate swab for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and blood specimen for testing serum antibodies (immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG) were collected.Results Subjects showing positivity for the SARS-CoV-2 RNA and/or for anti-SARS-CoV-2 Ig is 237 (11.7%). Only 1.2% (n=25) of the total population had a positive nasal swab for SARS-CoV-2 and the large majority (21/25) of them were observed in March. A total of 226 subjects (11%) had IgM (n=19; 0.9%), IgG (n=155; 7.7%) or both (n=52; 2.6%) against SARS-CoV-2. Subjects with a present or past SARS-CoV-2 infection did not differ from other subjects as regards the number of cohabiting family members, travels, fever and upper and lower respiratory infection episodes.Conclusions Results from the present study support the hypothesis that the actual spread of the virus in Lombardy was underestimated in the official records. However, as it is not known how long Ig persist, numbers should be taken cautiously.
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spelling doaj-art-57e0a5e1dad24b3da4d32b684ecb589d2024-11-21T03:55:11ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552021-03-0111310.1136/bmjopen-2020-046800Detection of IgM, IgG and SARS-CoV-2 RNA among the personnel of the University of Milan, March through May 2020: the UNICORN studyMichele Carugno0Valentina Bollati1Letizia TarantiniLaura Dioni2Luca Ferrari3Matteo Bonzini4Angela Cecilia Pesatori5Serena MarchiEmanuele Montomoli6Claudia Maria TrombettaTommaso Schioppo7Carlo La VecchiaSimona Iodice8Mirjam Hoxha9Jacopo MarianiGregorio Paolo Milani10Federica Rota11Chiara Favero12Alessandro Manenti13Elena Pariani14Benedetta Albetti15Claudio BandiTommaso BelliniMarco BuscagliaCarlo CantarellaLaura CantoneSergio CasartelliSarah D’AlessandroFrancesca De ChiaraSerena DelbueIvano EberiniMonica FerraroniLaura GalastriCristina GalliChiara MacchiIlaria ManiniMassimiliano RuscicaMarco VicenziGiuliano ZanchettaEpidemiology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca` Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy2University of Milan, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Milano, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milano, Italy2Università degli Studi di Milano, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Milano, Italy2University of Milan, Italy1 Epidemiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca` Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Siena, Italy23Università degli studi di Milano, Milan2University of Milan, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Milano, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milano, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Science and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy2 Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Lombardia, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milano, ItalyVisMederi Research, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Milano, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milano, ItalyObjectives In Italy, the pandemic of COVID-19 resulted in congestion of hospitals and laboratories and probably determined an underestimation of the number of infected subjects, as the molecular diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was mainly performed on hospitalised patients. Therefore, limited data are available about the number of asymptomatic/paucisymptomatic subjects in the general population across time. To understand SARS-CoV-2 infection in the general population, we have developed a cross-sectional study (the ‘UNIversity against CORoNavirus study’) to investigate infection trends in asymptomatic/paucisymptomatic subjects in Milan (Italy), between March and June 2020.Participants The study population included 2023 subjects asymptomatic at the enrolment.Primary outcome measures A nasal mid-turbinate swab for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and blood specimen for testing serum antibodies (immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG) were collected.Results Subjects showing positivity for the SARS-CoV-2 RNA and/or for anti-SARS-CoV-2 Ig is 237 (11.7%). Only 1.2% (n=25) of the total population had a positive nasal swab for SARS-CoV-2 and the large majority (21/25) of them were observed in March. A total of 226 subjects (11%) had IgM (n=19; 0.9%), IgG (n=155; 7.7%) or both (n=52; 2.6%) against SARS-CoV-2. Subjects with a present or past SARS-CoV-2 infection did not differ from other subjects as regards the number of cohabiting family members, travels, fever and upper and lower respiratory infection episodes.Conclusions Results from the present study support the hypothesis that the actual spread of the virus in Lombardy was underestimated in the official records. However, as it is not known how long Ig persist, numbers should be taken cautiously.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/3/e046800.full
spellingShingle Michele Carugno
Valentina Bollati
Letizia Tarantini
Laura Dioni
Luca Ferrari
Matteo Bonzini
Angela Cecilia Pesatori
Serena Marchi
Emanuele Montomoli
Claudia Maria Trombetta
Tommaso Schioppo
Carlo La Vecchia
Simona Iodice
Mirjam Hoxha
Jacopo Mariani
Gregorio Paolo Milani
Federica Rota
Chiara Favero
Alessandro Manenti
Elena Pariani
Benedetta Albetti
Claudio Bandi
Tommaso Bellini
Marco Buscaglia
Carlo Cantarella
Laura Cantone
Sergio Casartelli
Sarah D’Alessandro
Francesca De Chiara
Serena Delbue
Ivano Eberini
Monica Ferraroni
Laura Galastri
Cristina Galli
Chiara Macchi
Ilaria Manini
Massimiliano Ruscica
Marco Vicenzi
Giuliano Zanchetta
Detection of IgM, IgG and SARS-CoV-2 RNA among the personnel of the University of Milan, March through May 2020: the UNICORN study
BMJ Open
title Detection of IgM, IgG and SARS-CoV-2 RNA among the personnel of the University of Milan, March through May 2020: the UNICORN study
title_full Detection of IgM, IgG and SARS-CoV-2 RNA among the personnel of the University of Milan, March through May 2020: the UNICORN study
title_fullStr Detection of IgM, IgG and SARS-CoV-2 RNA among the personnel of the University of Milan, March through May 2020: the UNICORN study
title_full_unstemmed Detection of IgM, IgG and SARS-CoV-2 RNA among the personnel of the University of Milan, March through May 2020: the UNICORN study
title_short Detection of IgM, IgG and SARS-CoV-2 RNA among the personnel of the University of Milan, March through May 2020: the UNICORN study
title_sort detection of igm igg and sars cov 2 rna among the personnel of the university of milan march through may 2020 the unicorn study
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/3/e046800.full
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