tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Acta Paediatr
. 2021 Jul 15.
doi: 10.1111/apa.16031. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 antibodies started to decline just four months after COVID-19 infection in a paediatric population
Adin Breuer[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Allon Raphael[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hagay Stern[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ma'aran Odeh[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Judith Fiszlinski[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nurit Algur[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Sophie Magen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Orli Megged[SUP] 1 3 4 [/SUP], Yechiel Schlesinger[SUP] 1 3 4 [/SUP], Yuval Barak-Corren[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Eyal Heiman[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Aim: We evaluated the prevalence of paediatric severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections using antibody testing and characterised antibody titres by time from exposure.
Methods: This was a single-centre, prospective, cross-sectional cohort study. Patients under 18 years old were eligible to participate if they attended the paediatric emergency department at the tertiary Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel, from 18 October 2020 to 12 January 2021 and required blood tests or intravenous access. SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and antibody levels were tested by a dual-assay model.
Results: The study comprised 1,138 patients (56% male) with a mean age of 4.4 years (interquartile range 1.3-11.3). Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were found in 10% of the patients. Seropositivity increased with age and 41% of seropositive patients had no known exposure. Children under six years of age had higher initial antibody levels than older children, followed by a steeper decline. The seropositivity rate did not vary during the study, despite schools re-opening. The findings suggest that children's immunity may start falling four months after the initial infection CONCLUSION: Immunity started falling after just four months, and re-opening schools did not affect infection rates. These findings could aid decisions about vaccinating paediatric populations and school closures.
Keywords: antibody levels; asymptomatic infection; coronavirus; immunity; school closures.
. 2021 Jul 15.
doi: 10.1111/apa.16031. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 antibodies started to decline just four months after COVID-19 infection in a paediatric population
Adin Breuer[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Allon Raphael[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hagay Stern[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ma'aran Odeh[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Judith Fiszlinski[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nurit Algur[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Sophie Magen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Orli Megged[SUP] 1 3 4 [/SUP], Yechiel Schlesinger[SUP] 1 3 4 [/SUP], Yuval Barak-Corren[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Eyal Heiman[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34265136
- DOI: 10.1111/apa.16031
Abstract
Aim: We evaluated the prevalence of paediatric severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections using antibody testing and characterised antibody titres by time from exposure.
Methods: This was a single-centre, prospective, cross-sectional cohort study. Patients under 18 years old were eligible to participate if they attended the paediatric emergency department at the tertiary Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel, from 18 October 2020 to 12 January 2021 and required blood tests or intravenous access. SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and antibody levels were tested by a dual-assay model.
Results: The study comprised 1,138 patients (56% male) with a mean age of 4.4 years (interquartile range 1.3-11.3). Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were found in 10% of the patients. Seropositivity increased with age and 41% of seropositive patients had no known exposure. Children under six years of age had higher initial antibody levels than older children, followed by a steeper decline. The seropositivity rate did not vary during the study, despite schools re-opening. The findings suggest that children's immunity may start falling four months after the initial infection CONCLUSION: Immunity started falling after just four months, and re-opening schools did not affect infection rates. These findings could aid decisions about vaccinating paediatric populations and school closures.
Keywords: antibody levels; asymptomatic infection; coronavirus; immunity; school closures.