Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthy blood donors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 2925 - 18
• Main Authors: Ukwishaka, Joyeuse, Mela, Cyril Fotabong, Aseneh, Jerry Brown Njoh, Ettaj, Malak, Ilboudo, Dieudonné, Danwang, Celestin, Samadoulougou, Sekou, Kirakoya-Samadoulougou, Fati
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 22.10.2024; BioMed Central Ltd; BMC
• Subjects: Antibodies; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Antibody; Asymptomatic; Biostatistics; Blood; Blood & organ donations; Blood donors; Blood Donors - statistics & numerical data; COVID-19; COVID-19 - immunology; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 vaccines; Disease transmission; Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Evaluation; Health aspects; Health care; Health policy; Herd immunity; Heterogeneity; Humans; Immune response; Immune status; Immune system; Immunity (Disease); Immunization; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulins; Infections; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Meta-analysis; N protein; Observational studies; Pandemics; Proteins; Public Health; Qualitative analysis; Quality assessment; Quality control; Regional development; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - immunology; Sensitivity analysis; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Serology; Seroprevalence; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Systematic review; Vaccine; Vaccines; Viral antibodies; Viral diseases; Viruses; United States; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Antibody; Blood donors; Seroprevalence
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-20364-5

Introduction The development of a potent immune response and antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 is important for herd immunity. The serological response may be due to a previous infection or vaccination. Healthy blood donors could represent and provide information on the immune status of the general population. Therefore, we estimated the global and regional prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthy blood donors. Methods We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and ProQuest from December 2019 to January 2023. After critical appraisal and quality assessment, a qualitative synthesis of the identified relevant articles was performed. The random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Funnel plots and Egger ’s test were used to assess publication bias. Sensitivity analysis was performed, and heterogeneity was quantified using I 2 statistics . Results A total of 70 peer-reviewed articles were selected that together included 2,454,192 blood donors. The global estimated pooled prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthy blood donors was 10.3% (95% CI: 4.6 – 18.0%, n  = 70). The highest seroprevalence was observed in Asia (17.7%), followed by Africa (16.1%). The seroprevalence in studies conducted before the introduction of the vaccine was 6.1%, whereas those of studies conducted after vaccines were available was 27.6%. High seroprevalence was observed in studies that measured antibodies against the S protein of the virus (15.2%), while lower (12.5%) in those that measured antibodies against the N protein . A high seroprevalence was observed in studies that only measured IgG antibodies (16.3%), and it was 5.9% in studies that measured total antibodies. Conclusion The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthy blood donors varies, potentially indicating geographical disparities in transmission and vaccination rates. To enhance community resilience, addressing these differences through inclusive health policies and adaptable public health measures is crucial.