Neutralizing antibody dynamics in cohorts of children and adolescents after SARS-CoV-2 infection

Several studies have shown that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is more prevalent in mildly ill children than in older groups. It shows that you have an impact. Studies relevant to assessing the persistence and strength of antibodies generated in children after COVID-19 are lacking.

Background

It is imperative to assess the strength and persistence of antibodies generated in children who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection. This helps identify risks associated with reinfection and disease severity. Furthermore, these data may help establish herd immunity and design appropriate vaccination strategies.recently JAMA Pediatrics In the study, scientists analyzed a cohort that included children and adolescents after recovering from COVID-19 to Neutralizing antibody.

About research

The study period included the time from the 2019 outbreak of the first SARS-CoV-2 strain in Wuhan, China, to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variants. Individuals who were 0–16 years old and who tested positive for COVID-19 were recruited. All participants were recruited from her KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore between 1 February 2020 and 30 September 2021. They were followed up to 16 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were detected using serum from blood samples using a surrogate virus neutralization assay. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the level of neutralizing antibodies present in serum samples. The temporal distribution of neutralizing antibody levels was assessed post-infection based on age, sex, and symptom status.

Survey results

A total of 126 participants were studied, including 52 girls and 74 boys. The average age of participants was 7.4 years. In this cohort, 72% of participants had mild fever, cough, and runny nose. No participants developed moderate or severe infections. Additionally, none of the participants developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome.

One to three months after infection, neutralizing antibody levels peaked at a median of 84%. This level remained relatively high, with a median of 69.8% for the period 9 to 13 months post-COVID-19. Scientists observed that during the acute phase of infection, neutralizing antibody levels were found to be highest in participants under the age of 5. Similarly, the lowest level of neutralizing antibodies was found in he 12 years old. From the age he was in the 16-year-old group.

Not only did children under 5 years of age have the highest concentration of neutralizing antibodies, but their levels remained largely unchanged up to 16 months after COVID-19. In addition, no differences in antibody titers were observed according to gender or symptoms.

Conclusion

The current study found that neutralizing antibodies were present in children up to 16 months after recovering from COVID-19. A rapid generation and persistence of antibodies was observed in children younger than 5 years compared to older age groups.

One of the limitations of this study was the reduced sample size in the 9-month post-infection category. However, representatives of all age groups remained. Another drawback was that we only had neutralizing antibodies specific for SARS-CoV-2. spike protein A receptor binding domain (RBD) was determined.

The study reconfirmed that younger children were at lower risk of COVID-19 compared to older groups. This observation will help policy makers develop well-informed vaccination strategies for children to prevent this group from contracting the disease.