Detection of neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 to determine population exposure in Scottish blood donors between March and May 2020

Craig P. Thompson; Nicholas E. Grayson; Robert S. Paton; Jai S. Bolton; José Lourenço; Bridget S. Penman; Lian N. Lee; Valerie Odon; Juthathip Mongkolsapaya; Senthil Chinnakannan; Wanwisa Dejnirattisai; Matthew Edmans; Alex Fyfe; Carol Imlach; Kreepa Kooblall; Nicholas Lim; Chang Liu; César López-Camacho; Carol McInally; Anna L. McNaughton; Narayan Ramamurthy; Jeremy Ratcliff; Piyada Supasa; Oliver Sampson; Beibei Wang; Alexander J. Mentzer; Marc Turner; Malcolm G. Semple; Kenneth Baillie; Heli Harvala; Gavin R. Screaton; Nigel Temperton; Paul Klenerman; Lisa M. Jarvis; Sunetra Gupta; Peter Simmonds; J. Kenneth Baillie; Peter J.M. Openshaw; Gail Carson; Beatrice Alex; Benjamin Bach; Wendy S. Barclay; Debby Bogaert; Meera Chand; Graham S. Cooke; Annemarie B. Docherty; Jake Dunning; Ana da Silva Filipe; Tom Fletcher; Lorna Finch

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.es.2020.25.42.2000685

Detection of neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 to determine population exposure in Scottish blood donors between March and May 2020

Craig P. Thompson, Nicholas E. Grayson, Robert S. Paton, Jai S. Bolton, José Lourenço, Bridget S. Penman, Lian N. Lee, Valerie Odon, Juthathip Mongkolsapaya, Senthil Chinnakannan, Wanwisa Dejnirattisai, Matthew Edmans, Alex Fyfe, Carol Imlach, Kreepa Kooblall, Nicholas Lim, Chang Liu, César López-Camacho, Carol McInally, Anna L. McNaughtonNarayan Ramamurthy, Jeremy Ratcliff, Piyada Supasa, Oliver Sampson, Beibei Wang, Alexander J. Mentzer, Marc Turner, Malcolm G. Semple, Kenneth Baillie, Heli Harvala, Gavin R. Screaton, Nigel Temperton, Paul Klenerman, Lisa M. Jarvis, Sunetra Gupta, Peter Simmonds, J. Kenneth Baillie, Peter J.M. Openshaw, Gail Carson, Beatrice Alex, Benjamin Bach, Wendy S. Barclay, Debby Bogaert, Meera Chand, Graham S. Cooke, Annemarie B. Docherty, Jake Dunning, Ana da Silva Filipe, Tom Fletcher, Lorna Finch

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

52 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: The progression and geographical distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the United Kingdom (UK) and elsewhere is unknown because typically only symptomatic individuals are diagnosed. We performed a serological study of blood donors in Scotland in the spring of 2020 to detect neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 as a marker of past infection and epidemic progression. Aim: Our objective was to determine if sera from blood bank donors can be used to track the emergence and progression of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Methods: A pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 virus microneutralisation assay was used to detect neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The study comprised samples from 3,500 blood donors collected in Scotland between 17 March and 18 May 2020. Controls were collected from 100 donors in Scotland during 2019. Results: All samples collected on 17 March 2020 (n=500) were negative in the pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 virus microneutralisation assay. Neutralising antibodies were detected in six of 500 donors from 23 to 26 March. The number of samples containing neutralising antibodies did not significantly rise after 5-6 April until the end of the study on 18 May. We found that infections were concentrated in certain postcodes, indicating that outbreaks of infection were extremely localised. In contrast, other areas remained comparatively untouched by the epidemic. Conclusion: Although blood donors are not representative of the overall population, we demonstrated that serosurveys of blood banks can serve as a useful tool for tracking the emergence and progression of an epidemic such as the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.

Original language	English
Article number	2000685
Journal	Eurosurveillance
Volume	25
Issue number	42
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.es.2020.25.42.2000685
Publication status	Published - 1 Oct 2020

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Thompson, C. P., Grayson, N. E., Paton, R. S., Bolton, J. S., Lourenço, J., Penman, B. S., Lee, L. N., Odon, V., Mongkolsapaya, J., Chinnakannan, S., Dejnirattisai, W., Edmans, M., Fyfe, A., Imlach, C., Kooblall, K., Lim, N., Liu, C., López-Camacho, C., McInally, C., ... Finch, L. (2020). Detection of neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 to determine population exposure in Scottish blood donors between March and May 2020. Eurosurveillance, 25(42), Article 2000685. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.es.2020.25.42.2000685

@article{ae178899c3764c569971fb53d04457f4,

title = "Detection of neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 to determine population exposure in Scottish blood donors between March and May 2020",

abstract = "Background: The progression and geographical distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the United Kingdom (UK) and elsewhere is unknown because typically only symptomatic individuals are diagnosed. We performed a serological study of blood donors in Scotland in the spring of 2020 to detect neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 as a marker of past infection and epidemic progression. Aim: Our objective was to determine if sera from blood bank donors can be used to track the emergence and progression of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Methods: A pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 virus microneutralisation assay was used to detect neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The study comprised samples from 3,500 blood donors collected in Scotland between 17 March and 18 May 2020. Controls were collected from 100 donors in Scotland during 2019. Results: All samples collected on 17 March 2020 (n=500) were negative in the pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 virus microneutralisation assay. Neutralising antibodies were detected in six of 500 donors from 23 to 26 March. The number of samples containing neutralising antibodies did not significantly rise after 5-6 April until the end of the study on 18 May. We found that infections were concentrated in certain postcodes, indicating that outbreaks of infection were extremely localised. In contrast, other areas remained comparatively untouched by the epidemic. Conclusion: Although blood donors are not representative of the overall population, we demonstrated that serosurveys of blood banks can serve as a useful tool for tracking the emergence and progression of an epidemic such as the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.",

author = "Thompson, \{Craig P.\} and Grayson, \{Nicholas E.\} and Paton, \{Robert S.\} and Bolton, \{Jai S.\} and Jos{\'e} Louren{\c c}o and Penman, \{Bridget S.\} and Lee, \{Lian N.\} and Valerie Odon and Juthathip Mongkolsapaya and Senthil Chinnakannan and Wanwisa Dejnirattisai and Matthew Edmans and Alex Fyfe and Carol Imlach and Kreepa Kooblall and Nicholas Lim and Chang Liu and C{\'e}sar L{\'o}pez-Camacho and Carol McInally and McNaughton, \{Anna L.\} and Narayan Ramamurthy and Jeremy Ratcliff and Piyada Supasa and Oliver Sampson and Beibei Wang and Mentzer, \{Alexander J.\} and Marc Turner and Semple, \{Malcolm G.\} and Kenneth Baillie and Heli Harvala and Screaton, \{Gavin R.\} and Nigel Temperton and Paul Klenerman and Jarvis, \{Lisa M.\} and Sunetra Gupta and Peter Simmonds and Baillie, \{J. Kenneth\} and Openshaw, \{Peter J.M.\} and Gail Carson and Beatrice Alex and Benjamin Bach and Barclay, \{Wendy S.\} and Debby Bogaert and Meera Chand and Cooke, \{Graham S.\} and Docherty, \{Annemarie B.\} and Jake Dunning and \{da Silva Filipe\}, Ana and Tom Fletcher and Lorna Finch",

year = "2020",

month = oct,

day = "1",

doi = "10.2807/1560-7917.es.2020.25.42.2000685",

language = "English",

volume = "25",

journal = "Eurosurveillance",

issn = "1025-496X",

publisher = "European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)",

number = "42",

}

Thompson, CP, Grayson, NE, Paton, RS, Bolton, JS, Lourenço, J, Penman, BS, Lee, LN, Odon, V, Mongkolsapaya, J, Chinnakannan, S, Dejnirattisai, W, Edmans, M, Fyfe, A, Imlach, C, Kooblall, K, Lim, N, Liu, C, López-Camacho, C, McInally, C, McNaughton, AL, Ramamurthy, N, Ratcliff, J, Supasa, P, Sampson, O, Wang, B, Mentzer, AJ, Turner, M, Semple, MG, Baillie, K, Harvala, H, Screaton, GR, Temperton, N, Klenerman, P, Jarvis, LM, Gupta, S, Simmonds, P, Baillie, JK, Openshaw, PJM, Carson, G, Alex, B, Bach, B, Barclay, WS, Bogaert, D, Chand, M, Cooke, GS, Docherty, AB, Dunning, J, da Silva Filipe, A, Fletcher, T & Finch, L 2020, 'Detection of neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 to determine population exposure in Scottish blood donors between March and May 2020', Eurosurveillance, vol. 25, no. 42, 2000685. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.es.2020.25.42.2000685

TY - JOUR

T1 - Detection of neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 to determine population exposure in Scottish blood donors between March and May 2020

AU - Thompson, Craig P.

AU - Grayson, Nicholas E.

AU - Paton, Robert S.

AU - Bolton, Jai S.

AU - Lourenço, José

AU - Penman, Bridget S.

AU - Lee, Lian N.

AU - Odon, Valerie

AU - Mongkolsapaya, Juthathip

AU - Chinnakannan, Senthil

AU - Dejnirattisai, Wanwisa

AU - Edmans, Matthew

AU - Fyfe, Alex

AU - Imlach, Carol

AU - Kooblall, Kreepa

AU - Lim, Nicholas

AU - Liu, Chang

AU - López-Camacho, César

AU - McInally, Carol

AU - McNaughton, Anna L.

AU - Ramamurthy, Narayan

AU - Ratcliff, Jeremy

AU - Supasa, Piyada

AU - Sampson, Oliver

AU - Wang, Beibei

AU - Mentzer, Alexander J.

AU - Turner, Marc

AU - Semple, Malcolm G.

AU - Baillie, Kenneth

AU - Harvala, Heli

AU - Screaton, Gavin R.

AU - Temperton, Nigel

AU - Klenerman, Paul

AU - Jarvis, Lisa M.

AU - Gupta, Sunetra

AU - Simmonds, Peter

AU - Baillie, J. Kenneth

AU - Openshaw, Peter J.M.

AU - Carson, Gail

AU - Alex, Beatrice

AU - Bach, Benjamin

AU - Barclay, Wendy S.

AU - Bogaert, Debby

AU - Chand, Meera

AU - Cooke, Graham S.

AU - Docherty, Annemarie B.

AU - Dunning, Jake

AU - da Silva Filipe, Ana

AU - Fletcher, Tom

AU - Finch, Lorna

PY - 2020/10/1

Y1 - 2020/10/1

N2 - Background: The progression and geographical distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the United Kingdom (UK) and elsewhere is unknown because typically only symptomatic individuals are diagnosed. We performed a serological study of blood donors in Scotland in the spring of 2020 to detect neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 as a marker of past infection and epidemic progression. Aim: Our objective was to determine if sera from blood bank donors can be used to track the emergence and progression of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Methods: A pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 virus microneutralisation assay was used to detect neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The study comprised samples from 3,500 blood donors collected in Scotland between 17 March and 18 May 2020. Controls were collected from 100 donors in Scotland during 2019. Results: All samples collected on 17 March 2020 (n=500) were negative in the pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 virus microneutralisation assay. Neutralising antibodies were detected in six of 500 donors from 23 to 26 March. The number of samples containing neutralising antibodies did not significantly rise after 5-6 April until the end of the study on 18 May. We found that infections were concentrated in certain postcodes, indicating that outbreaks of infection were extremely localised. In contrast, other areas remained comparatively untouched by the epidemic. Conclusion: Although blood donors are not representative of the overall population, we demonstrated that serosurveys of blood banks can serve as a useful tool for tracking the emergence and progression of an epidemic such as the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.

AB - Background: The progression and geographical distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the United Kingdom (UK) and elsewhere is unknown because typically only symptomatic individuals are diagnosed. We performed a serological study of blood donors in Scotland in the spring of 2020 to detect neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 as a marker of past infection and epidemic progression. Aim: Our objective was to determine if sera from blood bank donors can be used to track the emergence and progression of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Methods: A pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 virus microneutralisation assay was used to detect neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The study comprised samples from 3,500 blood donors collected in Scotland between 17 March and 18 May 2020. Controls were collected from 100 donors in Scotland during 2019. Results: All samples collected on 17 March 2020 (n=500) were negative in the pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 virus microneutralisation assay. Neutralising antibodies were detected in six of 500 donors from 23 to 26 March. The number of samples containing neutralising antibodies did not significantly rise after 5-6 April until the end of the study on 18 May. We found that infections were concentrated in certain postcodes, indicating that outbreaks of infection were extremely localised. In contrast, other areas remained comparatively untouched by the epidemic. Conclusion: Although blood donors are not representative of the overall population, we demonstrated that serosurveys of blood banks can serve as a useful tool for tracking the emergence and progression of an epidemic such as the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.

U2 - 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2020.25.42.2000685

DO - 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2020.25.42.2000685

M3 - Article

SN - 1025-496X

VL - 25

JO - Eurosurveillance

JF - Eurosurveillance

IS - 42

M1 - 2000685

ER -

Detection of neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 to determine population exposure in Scottish blood donors between March and May 2020

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