Humoral immune response and prolonged PCR positivity in a cohort of 1343 SARS-CoV 2 patients in the New York City region

AbstractBackgroundSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic. The percentage of infected individuals who seroconvert is still an open question. In addition, it has been shown in some individuals that viral genome can still be detected at considerable time post symptom resolution. Here we investigated both seroconversion and PCR-positivity in a large cohort of convalescent serum donors in New York City.MethodsIndividuals with confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection were screened via PCR for presence of viral genome and via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for presence of anti SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies.ResultsAll but three confirmed SARS-CoV-2 patients seroconverted to the SARS-CoV-2 spike while only 37.4% of suspected SARS-CoV-2 patients seroconverted. PCR-positivity was detected up to 28 days from symptom resolution.ConclusionsHere we show that the vast majority of confirmed COVID19 patients seroconvert, potentially providing immunity to reinfection. We also report that in a large proportion of individuals, viral genome can be detected via PCR in the upper respiratory tract for weeks post symptom resolution, but it is unclear if this signal represents infectious virus.

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209. Historic Airborne Fungal and Bacterial Concentrations in the New York City Region

10.3320/1.2765730 ◽

2001 ◽

Author(s):

J. Springston ◽

W. Esposito ◽

C. Yang

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

York City ◽

City Region ◽

Bacterial Concentrations

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Resilient by Design: Approaches to Advancing Climate Resilience in the Greater New York City Region

International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure 2017 ◽

10.1061/9780784481196.029 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Peter H. Adams ◽

Susan Yoon ◽

Josh DeFlorio

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

York City ◽

City Region ◽

Climate Resilience

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Is an Epic Pluvial Masking the Water Insecurity of the Greater New York City Region?*,+

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-11-00723.1 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 1339-1354 ◽

Cited By ~ 100

Author(s):

Neil Pederson ◽

Andrew R. Bell ◽

Edward R. Cook ◽

Upmanu Lall ◽

Naresh Devineni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

York City ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Severity Index ◽

Drought Severity ◽

Severe Drought ◽

City Region ◽

Water Insecurity ◽

Current Water

Abstract Six water emergencies have occurred since 1981 for the New York City (NYC) region despite the following: 1) its perhumid climate, 2) substantial conservation of water since 1979, and 3) meteorological data showing little severe or extreme drought since 1970. This study reconstructs 472 years of moisture availability for the NYC watershed to place these emergencies in long-term hydroclimatic context. Using nested reconstruction techniques, 32 tree-ring chronologies comprised of 12 species account for up to 66.2% of the average May–August Palmer drought severity index. Verification statistics indicate good statistical skill from 1531 to 2003. The use of multiple tree species, including rarely used species that can sometimes occur on mesic sites like Liriodendron tulipifera, Betula lenta, and Carya spp., seems to aid reconstruction skill. Importantly, the reconstruction captures pluvial events in the instrumental record nearly as well as drought events and is significantly correlated to precipitation over much of the northeastern United States. While the mid-1960s drought is a severe drought in the context of the new reconstruction, the region experienced repeated droughts of similar intensity, but greater duration during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The full record reveals a trend toward more pluvial conditions since ca. 1800 that is accentuated by an unprecedented 43-yr pluvial event that continues through 2011. In the context of the current pluvial, decreasing water usage, but increasing extra-urban pressures, it appears that the water supply system for the greater NYC region could be severely stressed if the current water boom shifts toward hydroclimatic regimes like the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

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A Single-Center Experience with a Pregnant Immigrant Population and Zika Virus Serologic Screening in New York City

American Journal of Perinatology ◽

10.1055/s-0039-1688819 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (07) ◽

pp. 731-737 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Audrey A. Merriam ◽

Chia-Ling Nhan-Chang ◽

B. Isabel Huerta-Bogdan ◽

Ronald Wapner ◽

Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

New York ◽

New York City ◽

York City ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Immunoglobulin M ◽

Immigrant Population ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽

Positive Urine

Objective Our institution is in an area of New York City with a large population of immigrants from Zika virus endemic areas. With the recent Zika virus outbreak, we sought to examine our center's experience with screening for Zika virus and outcomes among patients who tested positive for the disease during pregnancy. Study Design We performed a chart review of all pregnant patients who tested positive (positive serum or urine polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) or presumed positive (immunoglobulin M [IgM] enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] positive or IgM ELISA equivocal with positive plaque reduction neutralization test) for Zika virus. All tests were performed by the Department of Health (DOH) and followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines in effect at the time of specimen collection. Testing of cord blood, placenta, and/or neonatal blood were/was performed by the DOH for New York County. Prenatal ultrasounds for fetal head size and surveillance for calcifications were performed by maternal–fetal medicine specialists. Infant head ultrasound results were included when available. Results Between March 2016 and April 2017, 70 pregnant patients were positive or presumed positive for Zika infection during pregnancy. Of those, 16 women had positive urine or serum PCR and the remaining 54 were presumed positive. Among positive cases, five women tested positive via urine PCR only, nine women tested positive via serum PCR only, and two women had both positive urine and serum PCR. Fifteen of 67 infants (22%) born during the study period were born to mothers with positive urine or serum PCR testing. Sixty-five newborns were clinically normal with normal head measurements. Of the intracranial ultrasound performed, one infant had a grade 1 intraventricular hemorrhage, four had incidental choroid plexus cysts, and one had severe ventriculomegaly that was also noted antenatally. There were 2 positive and 15 equivocal infant serum IgM samples and 1 positive placental PCR from these pregnancies. There were four pregnancy terminations and two cases with fetal anomalies in this population that were split evenly between patients who tested positive and those who tested presumed positive for Zika virus during pregnancy. Conclusion We found no differences in pregnancy or neonatal outcomes between women who tested positive and presumed positive for Zika virus during pregnancy. Testing of infants and placenta tissue after delivery was largely inconclusive. Improvement in testing for Zika virus infection is needed to determine which pregnancies are at risk for congenital anomalies. Further research is still needed to determine which children are at risk for poor neurodevelopmental outcomes related to Zika virus and how to best coordinate care among the immigrant population during a new disease epidemic.

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