Defining the pediatric response to SARS-CoV-2 variants

Abstract

The global population has been severely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, however, with older age identified as a risk factor, children have been underprioritized. This article discusses the factors contributing to the less severe response observed in children following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), including, differing viral entry receptor expression and immune responses. It also discusses how emerging and future variants could present a higher risk to children, including those with underlying comorbidities, in developing severe disease. Furthermore, this perspective discusses the differential inflammatory markers between critical and non-critical cases, as well as discussing the types of variants that may be more pathogenic to children. Importantly, this article highlights where more research is urgently required, in order to protect the most vulnerable of our children.

Real Time Monitoring of Respiratory Viral Infections in Cohort Studies Using a Smartphone App

“…Across the symptomatic respiratory illnesses meeting our study criteria, we observed significant variation in the number of illnesses each participant experienced, as expected 2,4 .…”

“…While some participants recorded no respiratory illnesses despite strong adherence, others recorded up to 16 distinct illness events. TempTracker also captured the previously described inter-individual variability in terms of illness duration (range 1-13 days) and symptom manifestation 2,4 , even when comparing responses to the same virus. Within COCOON, we identified 26 household transmission events with significant variability between family members in their symptom development/duration and virus positivity, as has been reported in other household transmission cohorts 38,39 .…”

“…The pathogenesis of human respiratory disease represents a complex interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic factors, with respiratory virus exposures playing a critical role in their development and manifestations [1][2][3][4] . While some individuals experience recurrent, severe viral infections and develop chronic lung disease, other individuals rarely develop symptomatic illness, even when infected with the same virus [1][2][3][4] . Understanding the biological mechanisms driving this variability remains a key research priority 5 .…”