Kadyrova, IrinaYegorov, SergeyNegmetzhanov, BaurzhanKolesnikova, YevgeniyaKolesnichenko, SvetlanaKorshukov, IlyaAkhmaltdinova, LyudmilaVazenmiller, DmitriyStupina, YelenaKabildina, NaylyaAshimova, AssemRaimbekova, AigulTurmukhambetova, AnarMiller, Matthew S.Hortelano, GonzaloBabenko, Dmitriy2022-11-302022-11-302022-07-27Kadyrova, I., Yegorov, S., Negmetzhanov, B., Kolesnikova, Y., Kolesnichenko, S., Korshukov, I., Akhmaltdinova, L., Vazenmiller, D., Stupina, Y., Kabildina, N., Ashimova, A., Raimbekova, A., Turmukhambetova, A., Miller, M. S., Hortelano, G., & Babenko, D. (2022). High SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Karaganda, Kazakhstan before the launch of COVID-19 vaccination. PLOS ONE, 17(7), e0272008. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272008http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/6840COVID-19 exposure in Central Asia appears underestimated and SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence data are urgently needed to inform ongoing vaccination efforts and other strategies to mitigate the regional pandemic. Here, in a pilot serologic study we assessed the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody-mediated immunity in a multi-ethnic cohort of public university employees in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Asymptomatic subjects (n = 100) were recruited prior to their first COVID-19 vaccination. Questionnaires were administered to capture a range of demographic and clinical characteristics. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected for SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR testing. Serological assays were performed to detect spike (S)- reactive IgG and IgA and to assess virus neutralization. Pre-pandemic samples were used to validate the assay positivity thresholds. S-IgG and -IgA seropositivity rates among SARSCoV- 2 PCR-negative participants (n = 100) were 42% (95% CI [32.2–52.3]) and 59% (95% CI [48.8–69.0]), respectively, and 64% (95% CI [53.4–73.1]) of the cohort tested positive for at least one of the antibodies. S-IgG titres correlated with virus neutralization activity, detectable in 49% of the tested subset with prior COVID-19 history. Serologically confirmed history of COVID-19 was associated with Kazakh ethnicity, but not with other ethnic minorities present in the cohort, and self-reported history of respiratory illness since March 2020. Overall, SARS-CoV-2 exposure in this cohort was ~15-fold higher compared to the reported all-time national and regional COVID-19 prevalence, consistent with recent studies of excess infection and death in Kazakhstan. Continuous serological surveillance provides important insights into COVID-19 transmission dynamics and may be used to better inform the regional public health response.enAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United StatesType of access: Open AccessSARS-CoV-2COVID-19KaragandavaccinationArticle