Dataset Information

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and risk factors among meat packing, produce processing, and farm workers.

ABSTRACT: Meat packing, produce processing, and farm workers are known to have an elevated risk of COVID-19, but occupational risk factors in this population are unclear. We performed an observational cohort study of meat packing, produce processing, and farm workers in North Carolina in fall 2020. Blood, saliva, and nasal turbinate samples were collected to assess for SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity. Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity were investigated using chi-square tests, two-sample t-tests, and adjusted risk ratio analyses. Among 118 enrolled workers, the baseline SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was 50.0%. Meat packing plant workers had the highest SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence (64.6%), followed by farm workers (45.0%) and produce processing workers (10.0%), despite similar sociodemographic characteristics. Compared to SARS-CoV-2 seronegative workers, seropositive workers were more likely to work in loud environments that necessitated yelling to communicate (RR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.25-2.69), work in cold environments (RR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.12-2.24), or continue working despite developing symptoms at work (RR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.14-2.32). After adjusting for age and working despite symptoms, high occupational noise levels were associated with a 1.72 times higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity (95% CI: 1.16-2.55). Half of food processing workers showed evidence of past SARS-CoV-2 infection, a prevalence five times higher than most of the United States population at the time of the study. Work environments with loud ambient noise may pose elevated risks for SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Our findings also highlight the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 among underserved and economically disadvantaged Latinx communities in the United States.

SUBMITTER: Klein MD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10022315 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and risk factors among meat packing, produce processing, and farm workers.

Klein Melissa D MD Sciaudone Michael M Richardson David D Lacayo Roberto R McClean Colleen M CM Kharabora Oksana O Murray Katherine K Zivanovich Miriana Moreno MM Strohminger Stephen S Gurnett Rachel R Markmann Alena J AJ Bhowmik D Ryan DR Salgado Emperatriz Morales EM Castro-Arroyo Edwin E Aiello Allison E AE Boyce Ross M RM Juliano Jonathan J JJ Bowman Natalie M NM

PLOS global public health 20220713 7

Meat packing, produce processing, and farm workers are known to have an elevated risk of COVID-19, but occupational risk factors in this population are unclear. We performed an observational cohort study of meat packing, produce processing, and farm workers in North Carolina in fall 2020. Blood, saliva, and nasal turbinate samples were collected to assess for SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity. Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity were investigated using chi-square tests, two-sample t-tests, and ad ...[more]

PMID: 36962464

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Project description:Background COVID-19 pandemic has a devastating impact on the economies and health care system of sub-Saharan Africa. Healthcare workers (HWs), the main actors of the health system, are at higher-risk because of their occupation. Serology-based estimates of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HWs represent a measure of HWsâ€™ exposure to the virus and a guide to the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the community. This information is currently lacking in Ethiopia and other African countries. This study aimed to develop an in-house antibody testing assay, assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among Ethiopian high-risk frontline HWs. Methods A cross-sectional seroprevalence study was conducted among HWs in five public hospitals located in different geographic regions of Ethiopia. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected using questionnaire-based interviews. From consenting HWs, blood samples were collected between December 2020 and February 2021, the period between the two peaks of COVID-19 in Ethiopia. The collected sera were tested using an in-house immunoglobin G (IgG) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies on sera collected from HWs. Results Of 1,997 HWs who provided a blood sample, demographic and clinical data, 50.5% were female, 74.0% had no symptoms compatible with COVID-19, and 29.0% had history of contact with suspected or confirmed patient with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The overall seroprevalence was 39.6%. The lowest (24.5%) and the highest (48.0%) seroprevalence rates were found in Hiwot Fana Specialized Hospital in Harar and ALERT Hospital in Addis Ababa, respectively. Of the 821 seropositive HWs, 224(27.3%) had history of symptoms consistent with COVID-19. A history of close contact with suspected/confirmed COVID-19 cases was strongly associated with seropositivity (Adjusted odds Ratio (AOR) =1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.8; p=0.015). Conclusion High SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence levels were observed in the five Ethiopian hospitals. These findings highlight the significant burden of asymptomatic infection in Ethiopia, and may reflect the scale of transmission in the general population.

Project description:BackgroundCOVID-19 pandemic has a devastating impact on the economies and health care system of sub-Saharan Africa. Healthcare workers (HWs), the main actors of the health system, are at higher risk because of their occupation. Serology-based estimates of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HWs represent a measure of HWs' exposure to the virus and could be used as a guide to the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the community and valuable in combating COVID-19. This information is currently lacking in Ethiopia and other African countries. This study aimed to develop an in-house antibody testing assay, assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among Ethiopian high-risk frontline HWs.MethodsWe developed and validated an in-house Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for specific detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain immunoglobin G (IgG) antibodies. We then used this assay to assess the seroprevalence among HWs in five public hospitals located in different geographic regions of Ethiopia. From consenting HWs, blood samples were collected between December 2020 and February 2021, the period between the two peaks of COVID-19 in Ethiopia. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected using questionnaire-based interviews. Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine the overall and post-stratified seroprevalence and the association between seropositivity and potential risk factors.ResultsOur successfully developed in-house assay sensitivity was 100% in serum samples collected 2- weeks after the first onset of symptoms whereas its specificity in pre-COVID-19 pandemic sera was 97.7%. Using this assay, we analyzed a total of 1997 sera collected from HWs. Of 1997 HWs who provided a blood sample, and demographic and clinical data, 51.7% were females, 74.0% had no symptoms compatible with COVID-19, and 29.0% had a history of contact with suspected or confirmed patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The overall seroprevalence was 39.6%. The lowest (24.5%) and the highest (48.0%) seroprevalence rates were found in Hiwot Fana Specialized Hospital in Harar and ALERT Hospital in Addis Ababa, respectively. Of the 821 seropositive HWs, 224(27.3%) of them had a history of symptoms consistent with COVID-19 while 436 (> 53%) of them had no contact with COVID-19 cases as well as no history of COVID-19 like symptoms. A history of close contact with suspected/confirmed COVID-19 cases is associated with seropositivity (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.8; p = 0.015).ConclusionHigh SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence levels were observed in the five Ethiopian hospitals. These findings highlight the significant burden of asymptomatic infection in Ethiopia and may reflect the scale of transmission in the general population.

Dataset Information

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and risk factors among meat packing, produce processing, and farm workers.

Publications

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and risk factors among meat packing, produce processing, and farm workers.

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