This is an Accepted Manuscript for Epidemiology & Infection. Subject to change during the editing and production process. DOI: 10.1017/S0950268823001498 This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by- nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work. Prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in people attending the two main Goma markets in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo Mitangala Prudence Ndeba 1,2# , Irenge Leonid M 3# , Musubao Edgar Tsongo 4 , Kahindo Jean Bosco Mbeva 2 , Ayonga Patrick Ndeba 5 , Safari Israël Kyemba 6 , Kubuya Janvier Bonane 7 , Ntabe Edmon Namegabe 8 , Raphaël Kakongo Senga Kabangwa Senga 9 , Mutombo Guy Ndongala 7 , Ambroise Jérôme 3 , Gala Jean-Luc 3* . 1 Université Catholique de Bukavu, Bukavu, Sud Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. 2 Université Officielle de Ruwenzori, Butembo, Nord Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo 3 Center for Applied Molecular Technologies, Institute of Clinical and Experimental Research, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 54/B1.54.01, 1200 Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium 4 Institut de Techniques Médicales, Goma, Nord Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo 5 Département des maladies infectieuses et tropicales, Université de Bordeaux, France 6 Inspection provinciale de la santé du Nord Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo 7 Division provinciale de la santé du Nord Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo 8 Université Libre des Pays des Grands Lacs, Goma Nord Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo 9 Laboratoire Provincial Ami Labo Nord Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo # : Both authors contributed equally Mitangala Ndeba Prudence : prudendeb@yahoo.fr Irenge Mwana Wa Bene Léonid: leonid.irenge@uclouvain.be https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268823001498 Published online by Cambridge University Press