Newborn Dried Blood Spots for Serologic Surveys of COVID-19

Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2020 Dec;39(12):e454-e456. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000002918.

Abstract

There is an urgent need for inexpensive, population-wide surveillance testing for COVID-19. We tested newborn dried blood spot (DBS) anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies for all infants born at Yale from March to May 2020, and found that newborn DBS serologies reflect maternal and population-wide infection rates during the study period. This suggests a role for DBS in COVID-19 surveillance in areas where viral testing is limited.

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • COVID-19 / diagnosis
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology*
  • COVID-19 / virology*
  • Dried Blood Spot Testing*
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Public Health Surveillance
  • SARS-CoV-2* / classification
  • Seasons
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral