Publications by authors named "Natalia Graf"
Background: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when mortality was high, social distance was the only option to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and prohibit uncontrolled spreading. As the impact of social distancing on sexual behavior was unclear, we aimed to assess the influence of sexual risk behavior on SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in HIV pre-exposition prophylaxis (PrEP) users after declaration of the pandemic.
Methods: Prospective study on SARS-CoV-2 IgG-antibody seroconversion rate over time in men having sex with men (MSM) using PrEP at a single tertiary university hospital in Munich, Germany, during quarterly (Q) routine HIV-PrEP visits over 1 year per participant (May 2020 - September 2021).
Persistent chemosensory dysfunction (PCD) is a common symptom of long-COVID. Chemosensory dysfunction (CD) as well as SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody levels and CD8 T-cell immunity were investigated in a cohort of 44 healthcare workers up to a median of 721 days after a positive PCR test. CD was assessed using questionnaires and psychophysical screening tests.
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- A study at the University Hospital rechts der Isar in Munich assessed SARS-CoV-2 infection rates among 4,554 hospital staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing a seroprevalence of 2.4%.
- Staff involved in direct patient care were just as likely to be infected as those not interacting with patients, although increased infection risk was linked to contact with infected colleagues or patients without proper protective gear.
- The findings suggest that working in patient-facing roles can be safe with proper use of personal protective equipment and adherence to infection prevention protocols, despite some areas of high infection overlap identified in staff and patients.
Infection-neutralizing antibody responses after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection or coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination are an essential component of antiviral immunity. Antibody-mediated protection is challenged by the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs) with immune escape properties, such as omicron (B.1.
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