Occupational Exposure in the Lombardy Region (Italy) to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results from the MUSTANG–OCCUPATION–COVID-19 Study

Della Valle, Paola; Fabbri, Marco; Madotto, Fabiana; Ferrara, Pietro; Cozzolino, Paolo; Calabretto, Elisabetta; D’Orso, Marco Italo; Longhi, Ermanno; Polosa, Riccardo; Riva, Michele Augusto; Mazzaglia, Giampiero; Sommese, Carmen; Mantovani, Lorenzo Giovanni; The MUSTANG–OCCUPATION–COVID-19 Study Group,

doi:10.3390/ijerph18052567

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Occupational Exposure in the Lombardy Region (Italy) to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results from the MUSTANG–OCCUPATION–COVID-19 Study

by

Paola Della Valle

^1,2,†,

Marco Fabbri

^1,2,†,

Fabiana Madotto

^2,*,

Pietro Ferrara

^1,2,*

,

Paolo Cozzolino

²

,

Elisabetta Calabretto

²,

Marco Italo D’Orso

³,

Ermanno Longhi

²,

Riccardo Polosa

^4,5

,

Michele Augusto Riva

¹

,

Giampiero Mazzaglia

¹,

Carmen Sommese

²,

Lorenzo Giovanni Mantovani

^1,2 and

The MUSTANG–OCCUPATION–COVID-19 Study Group

^‡

¹

Center for Public Health Research, University of Milan Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy

²

IRCCS MultiMedica, 20099 Sesto San Giovanni, Italy

³

Consortium for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan–Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy

⁴

Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of HArm Reduction (CoEHAR), University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy

⁵

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors equally contributed to this research.

^‡

Members of the MUSTANG–OCCUPATION–COVID-19 study are listed in the Acknowledgments.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(5), 2567; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052567

Submission received: 1 February 2021 / Revised: 26 February 2021 / Accepted: 28 February 2021 / Published: 4 March 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Public Health View on COVID-19: Epidemiology, Implications and Responses)

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Abstract

Sero-epidemiological surveys are valuable attempts to estimate the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in general or selected populations. Within this context, a prospective observational study was conducted to estimate the prevalence and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in different categories of workers and factors associated with positivity, through the detection of virus-specific immunoglobulin G and M (IgG/IgM) in serum samples. Enrollees were divided in low exposure and medium-high groups on the basis of their work activity. Antibody responders were re-contacted after 3 months for the follow-up. Of 2255 sampled workers, 4.8% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM antibodies, with 81.7% to IgG only. Workers who continued to go to their place of work, were healthcare workers, or experienced at least one COVID-19-related symptom were more likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies prevalence was significantly higher in the medium-high risk vs. low-risk group (7.2% vs. 3.0%, p < 0.0001). At 3-month follow-up, 81.3% of subjects still had antibody response. This study provided important information of SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence among workers in northern Italy, where the impact of COVID-19 was particularly intense. The presented surveillance data give a contribution to refine current estimates of the disease burden expected from the SARS-CoV-2.

Keywords: antibody persistence; COVID-19; occupational exposure; seroprevalence; SARS-CoV-2

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MDPI and ACS Style

Della Valle, P.; Fabbri, M.; Madotto, F.; Ferrara, P.; Cozzolino, P.; Calabretto, E.; D’Orso, M.I.; Longhi, E.; Polosa, R.; Riva, M.A.; et al. Occupational Exposure in the Lombardy Region (Italy) to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results from the MUSTANG–OCCUPATION–COVID-19 Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 2567. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052567

AMA Style

Della Valle P, Fabbri M, Madotto F, Ferrara P, Cozzolino P, Calabretto E, D’Orso MI, Longhi E, Polosa R, Riva MA, et al. Occupational Exposure in the Lombardy Region (Italy) to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results from the MUSTANG–OCCUPATION–COVID-19 Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(5):2567. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052567

Chicago/Turabian Style

Della Valle, Paola, Marco Fabbri, Fabiana Madotto, Pietro Ferrara, Paolo Cozzolino, Elisabetta Calabretto, Marco Italo D’Orso, Ermanno Longhi, Riccardo Polosa, Michele Augusto Riva, and et al. 2021. "Occupational Exposure in the Lombardy Region (Italy) to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results from the MUSTANG–OCCUPATION–COVID-19 Study" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 5: 2567. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052567

APA Style

Della Valle, P., Fabbri, M., Madotto, F., Ferrara, P., Cozzolino, P., Calabretto, E., D’Orso, M. I., Longhi, E., Polosa, R., Riva, M. A., Mazzaglia, G., Sommese, C., Mantovani, L. G., & The MUSTANG–OCCUPATION–COVID-19 Study Group. (2021). Occupational Exposure in the Lombardy Region (Italy) to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results from the MUSTANG–OCCUPATION–COVID-19 Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(5), 2567. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052567

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Occupational Exposure in the Lombardy Region (Italy) to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results from the MUSTANG–OCCUPATION–COVID-19 Study

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