Thiéry Ndong Mba¹,²,³, Hilaire Moundounga Kenguele¹ and  Brice Arnaud Pambo-Pambo4

 ¹Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology (LABMC), University of Science and Technology of Masuku (USTM), Franceville, Gabon

²Medical analysis laboratory of the Omar Bongo Ondimba regional hospital of Makokou, Gabon

³Laboratory of Research in Biochemistry (LAREBIO), University of Sciences and Techniques of Masuku (USTM) Franceville, Gabon

4Laboratory of Animal Physiology, University of Science and Technology of Masuku (USTM), Franceville, Gabon

Received: Mar 1, 2023/ Revised: Mar 29, 2023/ Accepted: Mar 30, 2023

(✉) Corresponding Author: tndongmb2021@gmail.com

Abstract

Despite the observation of a considerable decrease in the number of cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) in the world, this pandemic whose causal agent has been identified as Sars-CoV-2 remains to this day a threat to world health. In the framework of a permanent health monitoring of this disease, this study was undertaken to evaluate the seroprevalence of this disease among people seen at the Omar Bongo Ondimba regional hospital of Makokou, in the province of Ogooué-Ivindo, in Eastern- North Gabon. This descriptive cross-sectional study, whose data were collected prospectively, took place from 18 September 2021 to 18 February 2022. It enrolled persons of all ages and sexes who came to the laboratory of the Omar Bongo Ondimba regional hospital of Makokou, to be tested for COVID-19. The screening technique used was the molecular RT-qPCR test.  Out of a total of 168 patients tested, the presence of the virus was identified in 27 samples, i.e. a prevalence of 16.07%. With a percentage of 96.30%, the most affected locality was that of Makokou, the capital of the Ogooué-Ivindo province. With 25% of positivity, and according to the statistical test, women were much more infected than men (p=0.04; OR = 2.5). Residing in an urban locality (Makokou) was a risk factor for Sars-Cov-2 infection. Although no age group was found to be a risk factor, the age group between 25 and 65 years was the most affected by the disease. Thanks to the implementation of the molecular diagnosis of Sars-CoV-2, the persons received at the Omar Bongo Ondimba regional hospital of Makokou, in the province of Ogooué-Ivindo, in Eastern- North Gabon, were able to benefit from a rapid and efficient diagnostic tool, which can help to detect the disease rapidly.

Keywords: Sars-coV-2, Covid-19, RT-qPCR, Omar Bongo Ondimba regional hospital Makokou, Ogooué-Ivindo, Gabon.

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How to cite this article

Mba, T. N., Kenguele, H. M. and Pambo-Pambo, B. A.  (2023). Molecular seroprevalence of Sars-CoV-2 among people seen at the Omar Bongo Ondimba regional  hospital of Makokou, in the province of Ogooué-Ivindo, in Eastern- North Gabon. Science Archives, Vol. 4(1), 53-58. https://doi.org/10.47587/SA.2023.4109

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