Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies among Slaughterhouse workers in Burkina Faso

The first cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were recorded in the Wuhan seafood market, where a variety of mammalian animals are sold live and for direct consumption and the resulting pandemic has once again highlighted the role of human-animal interaction in the spread of pathogens. The objective of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among slaughterhouse workers in Burkina Faso. We carried out a cross-sectional study among slaughterhouses workers of Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso between March and April 2021. We collected sociodemographic data and we performed ELISA tests to determine the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in slaughterhouse workers serum samples. We included 183 participants. Among these, 79 resided in Ouagadougou and 104 in Bobo Dioulasso. The majority of participants were men (179/183, or 97.81%) and the average age was 33.87 years. Of the 183 samples analyzed, 140 (76.50%) were found to be positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, including 76/104 (73.07%) in Bobo Dioulasso and 64/79 (81.01%) in Ouagadougou. Univariate analysis showed no significant association between SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity, sociodemographic data, professional profile and personal hygiene. The seroprevalence of COVID-19 among slaughterhouse workers was high in 2021. These results highlighted the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 within this population and demonstrate a high exposure of these professionals to virus.