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

Kadyrova I. Yegorov S. Negmetzhanov B. Kolesnikova Y. Kolesnichenko S. Korshukov I. Akhmaltdinova L. Vazenmiller D. Stupina Y. Kabildina N. Ashimova A. Raimbekova A. Turmukhambetova A. Miller M.S. Hortelano G. Babenko D.
July 2022 Public Library of Science

PLoS ONE
2022 #17 Issue 7 July

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 SARSCoV-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. Copyright:

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Research Centre, Karaganda Medical University, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster Immunology Research Centre, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
School of Sciences and Humanities, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
National Laboratory Astana, Centre for Life Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan

Research Centre
Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research
School of Sciences and Humanities
National Laboratory Astana

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