Pre-publication release of accepted article
Journal Article
Community SARS-CoV-2 dynamics and cycle threshold use to enhance public health surveillance in the Dominican Republic
Tapia-Barredo, Leandro
|
Paulino, Amy
|
Suero Guzmán, Claudia
|
Delgadillo, Miguel Andrés
|
Medina, Claudia
|
Maletta Francisco, Leeany
|
Trochez Cordero, Stephanie
|
Castillo, Jason A.
|
Duque Canaán, Paula M.
|
Vallejo Degaudenzi, Alejandro G.
|
Hidalgo Rosario, Daniela I.
|
Del Orbe-Matos, Diego A.
|
Cabrera De la Cruz, Jhasmel
|
Campaña Muñoz, José Miguel
|
Sánchez-Marte, Estefani
|
Paulino-Ramírez, Robert
| Fecha de publicación | Revista | DOI |
2023 |
Resumen
To propose appropriate containment measures and optimize surveillance strategies, it is of utmost importance to understand the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 transmission within different age groups and its symptomatic and asymptomatic presentations. This study aimed to understand the cycle-threshold (Ct) of SARS-CoV-2 within individuals attending hospital-based facilities in the Dominican Republic. A total of 3,309 saliva samples were analysed from 14 provinces, which yielded a positivity rate of 18.01% (n=596) across 24 sites. Saliva specimens and levels of viral RNA were quantified by RT-qPCR. Overall mean Ct values were 29.3 cycles and significantly correlated with community positivity rate (r=-0.034, p=0.04). There was no significant difference in mean Ct values between studied age groups [F (19, 30) = 0.65, p = 0.5] and no significant correlation between mean Ct by age groups and community positivity. When comparing asymptomatic and symptomatic patients by age groups, the patients between 5 and 17 years old demonstrated a statistically significant mean difference in Ct values with 27.5 and 32.4 cycles, respectively (t (14) = -2.3, p = 0.03). Results identified in this study demonstrate how understanding community viral load is crucial for optimal SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and should be evaluated in the context of transmissibility dynamics.