Skip to main content
PMC home page
Elsevier - PMC COVID-19 Collection logoLink to Elsevier - PMC COVID-19 Collection
. 2008 Dec 3;107(11):885–891. doi: 10.1016/S0929-6646(08)60205-3

Seroprevalence of SARS Coronavirus Among Residents Near a Hospital with a Nosocomial Outbreak

Ming-Han Tsai a,b, Tzou-Yien Lin c,d,*, Cheng-Hsun Chiu c,d, Pen-Yi Lin c,d, Yhu-Chering Huang c,d, Kuo-Chien Tsao e, Chung-Guei Huang e, Kuang-Hung Hsu f, Meng-Chih Lin g, Kao-Pin Hwang d,h, Kuender D Yang d,h
PMCID: PMC7134787  PMID: 18971158

Abstract

Background/Purpose

An epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in Taiwan from April to July 2003. A nosocomial outbreak of SARS occurred at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH) in May 2003. The purpose of our study was to survey the prevalence of the SARS coronavirus (CoV) in a community adjacent to Kaohsiung CGMH and collect demographic data, including basic information about health status, household, and possible risk factors for SARS-CoV infection.

Methods

We randomly recruited 1030 persons living in three precincts adjacent to Kaohsiung CGMH. For all subjects, we collected demographic data and measured the seroprevalence of the SARS-CoV with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and an immunofluorescence assay (IFA).

Results

The ELISA was seropositive for 124 of 1030 participants (12%). The more sensitive and specific IFA confirmed SARS in only two cases (0.19%). Both confirmed cases were under 19 years of age and had no known SARS-related risk factors.

Conclusion

There was low post-epidemic seroprevalence of SARS-CoV in a community adjacent to a hospital which had a nosocomial SARS outbreak. The SARS outbreak in Taiwan was primarily limited to hospital settings.

Key Words: community survey, nosocomial infections, SARS-CoV, seroprevalence

References

  • 1.Poutanen SM, Low DE, Henry B. Identification of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Canada. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1995–2005. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa030634. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Christian MD, Poutanen SM, Loutfy MR. Severe acute respiratory syndrome. Clin Infect Dis. 2004;38:1420–1427. doi: 10.1086/420743. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Drosten C, Gunther S, Preiser W. Identification of a novel coronavirus in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1967–1976. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa030747. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Lee N, Hui D, Wu A. A major outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1986–1994. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa030685. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Peiris JSM, Lai ST, Poon LLM. Coronavirus as a possible cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Lancet. 2003;361:1319–1325. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13077-2. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Ksiazek TG, Erdman D, Goldsmith CS. A novel coronavirus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1953–1966. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa030781. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Peiris JSM, Phil D, Yuen KY. The severe acute respiratory syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2003;349:2431–2441. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra032498. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8.Liu JW, Lu SN, Chen SS. Epidemiologic study and containment of a nosocomial outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in a medical center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Infec Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2006;27:466–472. doi: 10.1086/504501. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Donnelly CA, Ghani AC, Leung GM. Epidemiological determinants of spread of casual agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. Lancet. 2003;361:1761–1766. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13410-1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Wong GWK, Hui DSC. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS): epidemiology, diagnosis and management. Thorax. 2003;58:558–560. doi: 10.1136/thorax.58.7.558. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Centers for Disease Control SARS Investigative Team Outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome—worldwide, 2003. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2003;52:226–228. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Lee ML, Chen CJ, Su IJ. Severe acute respiratory syndrome—Taiwan, 2003. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2003;52:461–466. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13.World Health Organization Summary of Probable SARS Cases with Onset of Illness From 1 November 2002 to 31 July 2003. Available from: http://www.who.int/csr/sars/country/table2004_04_21/en/index.html [Date accessed: October 19, 2008]
  • 14.Pratelli A, Elia G, Martella V. Prevalence of canine coronavirus antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in dogs in the south of Italy. J Virol Methods. 2002;102:67–71. doi: 10.1016/S0166-0934(01)00450-5. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15.Leung GM, Chung PH, Tsang T. SARS-CoV antibody prevalence in all Hong Kong patient contacts. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10:1653–1656. doi: 10.3201/eid1009.040155. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 16.Lerche NW, Yee JL, Jennings MB. Establishing specific retrovirus-free breeding colonies of macaques: an approach to primary screening and surveillance. Lab Anim Sci. 1994;44:217–221. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 17.Wu HS, Chiu SC, Tseng TC. Serologic and molecular biologic methods for SARS-associated coronavirus infection, Taiwan. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10:304–310. doi: 10.3201/eid1002.030731. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Chang WT, Kao CL, Chung MY. SARS exposure and emergency department workers. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10:1117–1119. doi: 10.3201/eid1006.030972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Yu WC, Tsang THF, Tong WL. Prevalence of subclinical infection by the SARS coronavirus among general practitioners in Hong Kong. Scand J Infect Dis. 2004;36:287–290. doi: 10.1080/00365540410019525. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 20.World Health Organization . Consensus Document on the Epidemiology of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) World Health Organization; Geneva: 2003. Available from: www.who.int/csr/sars/en/WHOconsensus.pdf WHO/CDS/CSR/GAR/2003. [Date accessed: November 20, 2003] [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Wu J, Xu F, Zhou W. Risk factors for SARS among persons without known contact with SARS patients, Beijing, China. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10:210–216. doi: 10.3201/eid1002.030730. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Varia M, Wilson S, Sarwal S. Investigation of a nosocomial outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Toronto, Canada. CMAJ. 2003;169:285–292. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 23.Lee HKK, Tso EYK, Chau TN. Asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus infection. Emerg Infect Dis. 2003;9:1491–1492. doi: 10.3201/eid0911.030401. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 24.Chan PKS, Ng KC, Chan RCW. Immunofluorescence assay for serologic diagnosis of SARS. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10:530–532. doi: 10.3201/eid1003.030493. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Kwok KO, Leung GM, Lam WY. Using models to identify routes of nosocomial infection: a large hospital outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong. Proc Biol Sci. 2007;274:611–617. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2006.0026. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of the Formosan Medical Association are provided here courtesy of Elsevier

RESOURCES