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High Infection Secondary Attack Rates of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Dutch Households Revealed by Dense Sampling

High Infection Secondary Attack Rates of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Dutch Households Revealed by Dense Sampling

Authors :
Nynke Y. Rots
Wim van der Hoek
Daphne F.M. Reukers
Michiel van Boven
Susan van den Hof
Adam Meijer
Arianne B van Gageldonk-Lafeber
Inge Roof
Chantal Reusken
Source :
Clinical Infectious Diseases: An Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
Oxford University Press (OUP), 2021.

Abstract

Background Indoor environments are considered one of the main settings for transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Households in particular represent a close-contact environment with high probability of transmission between persons of different ages and roles in society. Methods Households with a laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 positive case in the Netherlands (March-May 2020) were included. At least 3 home visits were performed during 4-6 weeks of follow-up, collecting naso- and oropharyngeal swabs, oral fluid, feces and blood samples from all household members for molecular and serological analyses. Symptoms were recorded from 2 weeks before the first visit through to the final visit. Infection secondary attack rates (SAR) were estimated with logistic regression. A transmission model was used to assess household transmission routes. Results A total of 55 households with 187 household contacts were included. In 17 households no transmission took place; in 11 households all persons were infected. Estimated infection SARs were high, ranging from 35% (95% confidence interval [CI], 24%-46%) in children to 51% (95% CI, 39%-63%) in adults. Estimated transmission rates in the household were high, with reduced susceptibility of children compared with adolescents and adults (0.67; 95% CI, .40-1.1). Conclusion Estimated infection SARs were higher than reported in earlier household studies, presumably owing to our dense sampling protocol. Children were shown to be less susceptible than adults, but the estimated infection SAR in children was still high. Our results reinforce the role of households as one of the main multipliers of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the population.

Details

ISSN :
15376591 and 10584838
Volume :
74
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Clinical Infectious Diseases
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....15f9a2d3c2953d0c9042a1f18fa12086
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab237