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Understanding the challenges and uncertainties of seroprevalence studies for SARS-CoV-2
Date
2021
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 continues to widely circulate in populations globally. Under detection is acknowledged and is problematic when attempting to capture the true prevalence. Seroprevalence studies, where blood samples from a population sample are tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that react to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, are a common method for estimating the proportion of people previously infected with the virus in a given population. However, obtaining reliable estimates from seroprevalence studies is challenging for a number of reasons, and the uncertainty in the results is often overlooked by scientists, policy makers, and the media. This paper reviews the methodological issues that arise in designing these studies, and the main sources of uncertainty that affect the results. We discuss the choice of study population, recruitment of subjects, uncertainty surrounding the accuracy of antibody tests, and the relationship between antibodies and infection over time. Understanding these issues can help the reader to interpret and critically evaluate the results of seroprevalence studies.
Supervisor
Description
peer-reviewed
Publisher
MDPI
Citation
Int. Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health;18, 4640
Files
Keywords
Funding code
Funding Information
Trinity College Dublin
Sustainable Development Goals
External Link
Type
Article
Rights
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/