tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Nat Commun
. 2021 Jul 29;12(1):4678.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-24938-4.
SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell responses are lower in children and increase with age and time after infection
Carolyn A Cohen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Athena P Y Li[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Asmaa Hachim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], David S C Hui[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mike Y W Kwan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Owen T Y Tsang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Susan S Chiu[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Wai Hung Chan[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Yat Sun Yau[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Niloufar Kavian[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Fionn N L Ma[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Eric H Y Lau[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Samuel M S Cheng[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Leo L M Poon[SUP] 1 8 [/SUP], Malik Peiris[SUP] 1 8 [/SUP], Sophie A Valkenburg[SUP] 9 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infection of children leads to a mild illness and the immunological differences with adults are unclear. Here, we report SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell responses in infected adults and children and find that the acute and memory CD4[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell responses to structural SARS-CoV-2 proteins increase with age, whereas CD8[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell responses increase with time post-infection. Infected children have lower CD4[SUP]+[/SUP] and CD8[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 structural and ORF1ab proteins when compared with infected adults, comparable T cell polyfunctionality and reduced CD4[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell effector memory. Compared with adults, children have lower levels of antibodies to β-coronaviruses, indicating differing baseline immunity. Total T follicular helper responses are increased, whilst monocyte numbers are reduced, indicating rapid adaptive co-ordination of the T and B cell responses and differing levels of inflammation. Therefore, reduced prior β-coronavirus immunity and reduced T cell activation in children might drive milder COVID-19 pathogenesis.
. 2021 Jul 29;12(1):4678.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-24938-4.
SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell responses are lower in children and increase with age and time after infection
Carolyn A Cohen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Athena P Y Li[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Asmaa Hachim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], David S C Hui[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mike Y W Kwan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Owen T Y Tsang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Susan S Chiu[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Wai Hung Chan[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Yat Sun Yau[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Niloufar Kavian[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Fionn N L Ma[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Eric H Y Lau[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Samuel M S Cheng[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Leo L M Poon[SUP] 1 8 [/SUP], Malik Peiris[SUP] 1 8 [/SUP], Sophie A Valkenburg[SUP] 9 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34326343
- DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24938-4
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infection of children leads to a mild illness and the immunological differences with adults are unclear. Here, we report SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell responses in infected adults and children and find that the acute and memory CD4[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell responses to structural SARS-CoV-2 proteins increase with age, whereas CD8[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell responses increase with time post-infection. Infected children have lower CD4[SUP]+[/SUP] and CD8[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 structural and ORF1ab proteins when compared with infected adults, comparable T cell polyfunctionality and reduced CD4[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell effector memory. Compared with adults, children have lower levels of antibodies to β-coronaviruses, indicating differing baseline immunity. Total T follicular helper responses are increased, whilst monocyte numbers are reduced, indicating rapid adaptive co-ordination of the T and B cell responses and differing levels of inflammation. Therefore, reduced prior β-coronavirus immunity and reduced T cell activation in children might drive milder COVID-19 pathogenesis.