Cross-sectional seroprevalence surveys of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in children in Germany, June 2020 to May 2021

Anna-Lisa Sorg, Leon Bergfeld, Marietta Jank, Victor Corman, Ilia Semmler, Anna Goertz, Andreas Beyerlein, Eva Verjans, Norbert Wagner, Horst Bernuth, Fabian Lander, Katharina Weil, Markus Hufnagel, Ute Spiekerkoetter, Cho-Ming Chao, Lutz Naehrlich, Ania Carolina Muntau, Ulf Schulze-Sturm, Gesine Hansen, Martin Wetzke, Anna-Maria Jung, Tim Niehues, Susanne Fricke-Otto, Ulrich Both, Johannes Huebner, Uta Behrends, Johannes G. Liese, Christian Schwerk, Christian Drosten, Ruediger Kries () and Horst Schroten
Additional contact information
Anna-Lisa Sorg: Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich
Leon Bergfeld: Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Marietta Jank: Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Paediatrics, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University
Victor Corman: Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Ilia Semmler: Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Anna Goertz: Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Paediatrics, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University
Andreas Beyerlein: Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich
Eva Verjans: University Hospital RWTH Aachen
Norbert Wagner: University Hospital RWTH Aachen
Horst Bernuth: Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Fabian Lander: University Hospital, and Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University (TU) Dresden
Katharina Weil: University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf
Markus Hufnagel: University Medical Centre, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg
Ute Spiekerkoetter: University Medical Centre, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg
Cho-Ming Chao: University Medical Centre Rostock, Department of Paediatrics, University of Rostock
Lutz Naehrlich: Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Centre, German Centre of Lung Research, Department of Paediatrics, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen
Ania Carolina Muntau: University Children’s Hospital, University Medical Centre Hamburg- Eppendorf
Ulf Schulze-Sturm: University Children’s Hospital, University Medical Centre Hamburg- Eppendorf
Gesine Hansen: Excellence Cluster RESIST, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
Martin Wetzke: Excellence Cluster RESIST, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
Anna-Maria Jung: Saarland University Hospital
Tim Niehues: Helios Klinikum Krefeld
Susanne Fricke-Otto: Helios Klinikum Krefeld
Johannes Huebner: University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University
Uta Behrends: Technical University Munich
Johannes G. Liese: University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Department of Paediatrics, Division of Paediatric Infectious Diseases
Christian Schwerk: Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Paediatrics, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University
Christian Drosten: Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Ruediger Kries: Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich
Horst Schroten: Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Paediatrics, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract The rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children remains unclear due to many asymptomatic cases. We present a study of cross-sectional seroprevalence surveys of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG in 10,358 children recruited in paediatric hospitals across Germany from June 2020 to May 2021. Seropositivity increased from 2.0% (95% CI 1.6, 2.5) to 10.8% (95% CI 8.7, 12.9) in March 2021 with little change up to May 2021. Rates increased by migrant background (2.8%, 4.4% and 7.8% for no, one and two parents born outside Germany). Children under three were initially 3.6 (95% CI 2.3, 5.7) times more likely to be seropositive with levels equalising later. The ratio of seropositive cases per recalled infection decreased from 8.6 to 2.8. Since seropositivity exceeds the rate of recalled infections considerably, serologic testing may provide a more valid estimate of infections, which is required to assess both the spread and the risk for severe outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30482-6

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