Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 total antibody is higher in younger Austrian blood donors

Purpose: Frequently the infection with coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be asymptomatic or provoke only mild symptoms. These cases often remain unnoticed, so it is difficult to estimate the actual numbers of infections. Aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 total antibody in Austrian blood donors.

Methods: 20,228 blood donors aged between 18 and 72 years resident in four Austrian federal states were screened for anti-SARS-CoV-2 total antibody between 5th of June and 4th of December 2020. To evaluate the impact of sex, age, AB0-blood group and donation period on the anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence, multiple logistic regression was done.

Results: Our data reveal an anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of 2.5% overall, significantly depending on the time point of blood donation: after the first Austrian lockdown the seroprevalence was lower compared to the following months, when the rate was constantly rising. While younger blood donors showed significantly higher seroprevalence, no differences were found concerning sex or AB0 blood group.

Conclusion: Broad testing strategies are required to better determine the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Screening blood donors as a representative group for the adult population could be a valid tool to determine the number of recorded and unrecorded cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection.