Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in a large prospective cohort study of elite football players in Germany (May–June 2020): implications for a testing protocol in asymptomatic individuals and estimation of the rate of undetected cases

Mack, Dietrich; Гартнер, Барбара; Rössler, Annika; Kimpel, Janine; Donde, Katrin; Harzer, Oliver; Krutsch, Werner; Laer, Dorotheé von; Meyer, Tim

doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2020.11.033

Cited by 20 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…The prevalence of COVID-19 was higher among these athletes than it was in the Croatian population during the study period (<9%) [ 29 ]. Additionally, according to previously published studies on professional athletes and on soccer players in particular, indicated a lower burden of COVID-19 (less than 5%) [ 30 , 31 , 32 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

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Performance of Professional Soccer Players before and after COVID-19 Infection; Observational Study with an Emphasis on Graduated Return to Play

Savičević

Nincevic

Veršić

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in sport has been the subject of numerous studies over the past two years. However, knowledge about the direct impact of COVID-19 infection on the performance of athletes is limited, and the importance of studies on this topic is crucial during the current pandemic era. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the match running performance (MRP) of professional soccer players that occurred as a result of COVID-19 infection after fulfilling all of the prerequisites for a safe return to play (RTP). The participants were 47 professional soccer players from a team which competed in first Croatian division (21.6 years old on average) during the 2020/21 season. The total sample was divided into two subgroups based on the results of a PCR test for COVID-19, where 31 players tested positive (infected) and 16 tested negative. We observed the PCR test results (positive vs. negative PCR), the number of days needed to return to the team, number of days needed to RTP after quarantine and isolation, and MRP (10 variables measured by a global positioning system). The number of days where the infected players were not included in the team ranged from 7 to 51 (Median: 12). Significant pre- to post-COVID differences in MRP for infected players were only found for high-intensity accelerations and high-intensity decelerations (t-test = 2.11 and 2.13, respectively; p < 0.05, moderate effect size differences), with poorer performance in the post-COVID period. Since a decrease of the MRP as a result of COVID-19 infection was only noted in two variables, we can highlight appropriateness of the applied RTP. However, further adaptations and improvements of the RTP are needed with regard to high-intensity activities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…A prospective cohort study on the players and staff from the German Bundesliga in 2020 showed similar seroprevalence from 1184 players and staff in May (1.99%) and June (2.09%) [ 30 ]. In a study on two teams from Denmark’s top two soccer leagues, the players were tested weekly for 11 consecutive weeks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of Professional Soccer Players before and after COVID-19 Infection; Observational Study with an Emphasis on Graduated Return to Play

Savičević

Nincevic

Veršić

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…This study examined the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiological and sporting profiles, life and health habits, and clinical characteristics of Brazilian athletes. Although the high number of COVID-19 cases among athletes itself indicates the requirement of a better understanding of the prevalence, associated factors, and behaviour of SARS-CoV-2 infection [ 14 , 24 ], few studies have focused on this subject [ 25 – 27 ], and highly variable results have been reported. For example, the prevalence of COVID-19 was observed to be 2% in a prospective study of 812 professional soccer players and 372 staff members from the German Bundesliga [ 25 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on athletes: a cross-sectional study

Lopes¹,

Miranda²,

Goes³

et al. 2021

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The COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges and implications for the sports community. Thus, this study aimed to describe the prevalence of COVID-19 in Brazilian athletes and identify the epidemiological, clinical, athletic, life and health factors associated with the disease in these individuals. A cross-sectional study was performed involving 414 athletes from 22 different sports using an online questionnaire from August to November 2020. The association between the athletes’ characteristics and COVID-19 was evaluated using a logistic regression model. The prevalence of COVID-19 was 8.5%, although only 40% of athletes reported having been tested. Being under 27 years of age (3-fold), having children (~5-fold), having a teammate test positive for COVID-19 (2.5-fold), and smoking (14-fold) were associated with a possible higher risk of disease. Almost 20% of athletes self-reported musculoskeletal injuries during the period of the pandemic that was studied. Athletes with a university education (P = 0.02), a profession other than sports (P < 0.001), those from a low-income family (P = 0.01), and public health system users (P = 0.04) were significantly less frequently tested for COVID-19, whereas international competitors, athletes who received a wage, and athletes who had a teammate who tested positive for COVID-19 were 2-, 3-, and 15-fold more likely to be tested for COVID-19, respectively. Approximately 26% of the athletes who tested negative or were untested reported more than three characteristic COVID-19 symptoms, and 11% of athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 were asymptomatic. The identification of modifiable (have children, smoking, and teammates positively tested) and non-modifiable (age under 27 years) factors related to COVID-19 in athletes can contribute to implementing surveillance programmes to decrease the incidence of COVID-19 in athletes and its negative impacts in sports.

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“…Of these, overall study estimates were largely below 10%, however higher seroprevalence was noted in a number of population-specific, regional or local studies (29,36,43,(50)(51)(52)(53)(54), with suggestion of earlier undetected transmission in some countries (24,26,34,55). A total of 16 studies reported seroprevalence estimates spanning multiple timepoints or stages of the epidemic (14, 15,27,31,32,47,[56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73]. In a serial cross-sectional study in France (61), residual blood sampled before, during and after a national lockdown showed a seroprevalence of 0.41%, 4.14%, and 4.93%, respectively.…”

Section: (Which Was Not Certified By Peer Review)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies prior to the widespread introduction of vaccine programmes in the WHO European Region, January - December 2020: a systematic review

Vaughan

Duffell

Friedl

et al. 2021

Preprint

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BackgroundSeroprevalence surveys are essential to assess the age-specific prevalence of pre-existing cross-reactive antibodies in the population with the emergence of a novel pathogen; to measure population cumulative seroincidence of infection, and to contribute to estimating infection severity. With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, ECDC and WHO Regional Office for Europe have supported Member States in undertaking standardized population-based SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence surveys across the WHO European Region.ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to undertake a systematic literature review of SARS-CoV-2 population seroprevalence studies undertaken in the WHO European Region to measure pre-existing and cumulative seropositivity prior to the roll out of vaccination programmes.MethodsWe systematically searched MEDLINE, ELSEVIER and the pre-print servers medRxiv and bioRxiv within the “COVID-19 Global literature on coronavirus disease” database using a predefined search strategy. We included seroepidemiology studies published before the widespread implementation of COVID-19 vaccination programmes in January 2021 among the general population and blood donors, at national and regional levels. Study risk of bias was assessed using a quality scoring system based on sample size, sampling and testing methodologies. Articles were supplemented with unpublished WHO-supported Unity-aligned seroprevalence studies and other studies reported directly to WHO Regional Office for Europe and ECDC.ResultsIn total, 111 studies from 26 countries published or conducted between 01/01/2020 and 31/12/2020 across the WHO European Region were included. A significant heterogeneity in implementation was noted across the studies, with a paucity of studies from the east of the Region. Eighty-one (73%) studies were assessed to be of low to medium risk of bias. Overall, SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity prior to widespread community circulation was very low. National seroprevalence estimates after circulation started ranged from 0% to 51.3% (median 2.2% (IQR 0.7-5.2%); n=124), while sub-national estimates ranged from 0% to 52% (median 5.8% (IQR 2.3-12%); n=101), with the highest estimates in areas following widespread local transmission.ConclusionsThe review found evidence of low national SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence (<10%) across the WHO European Region in 2020. The low levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibody in most populations prior to the start of vaccine programmes highlights the critical importance of vaccinating priority groups at risk of severe disease while maintaining reduced levels of transmission to minimize population morbidity and mortality.

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Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in a large prospective cohort study of elite football players in Germany (May–June 2020): implications for a testing protocol in asymptomatic individuals and estimation of the rate of undetected cases

Cited by 20 publications

References 5 publications

Performance of Professional Soccer Players before and after COVID-19 Infection; Observational Study with an Emphasis on Graduated Return to Play

Performance of Professional Soccer Players before and after COVID-19 Infection; Observational Study with an Emphasis on Graduated Return to Play

Repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on athletes: a cross-sectional study

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies prior to the widespread introduction of vaccine programmes in the WHO European Region, January - December 2020: a systematic review

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