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Long-Term Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2 in Children

2022; Springer Science+Business Media; Volume: 43; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/s10875-022-01355-w

1573-2592

Gábor A. Dunay, Madalena Barroso, Mathias Woidy, Marta K. Danecka, Géraldine Engels, Katharina Hermann, Friederike S. Neumann, Kevin Paul, Jan Beime, Gabriele Escherich, Kristin Fehse, Lev Grinstein, Franziska Haniel, Luka J. Haupt, Laura Hecher, Torben Kehl, Christoph Kemen, Markus J. Kemper, Robin Kobbe, Aloisa Kohl, Thomas Klokow, Dominik Nörz, J. Olfe, Friderike Schlenker, Jessica Schmiesing, Johanna Schrum, Freya Sibbertsen, Philippe Stock, Stephan Tiede, Eik Vettorazzi, Dimitra E. Zazara, Antonia Zapf, Marc Lütgehetmann, Jun Oh, Thomas S. Mir, Ania C. Muntau, Søren W. Gersting, Stefanie Etzold, Ingrid Goebel, Armin Günther, Pia-Sophie Kantor, Lea Bandel, Markus Baumanns, Pia Dähler, Barbara Dwenger, Annika Erdmann, Sophia Hegselmann, Kai Hornig, Johanna Jipp, Pia Kirkerup, Michael Krumm, Pelin Kurnaz, Sabine Pasterkamp, Anna Serve, Daniel Tegtmeyer, Julia Terstegen, Ceri Theresa Wiedling, Madelaine Wingerath, Stefan Rutkowski, Beate Winkler, Florian Arndt, Stefan Blankenberg, Daniel Diaz‐Gil, Peer Hauck, Rainer Kozlik‐Feldmann, Götz Müller, V. Stark, Peter Wiegand, Martin Aepfelbacher, Kathrin Cermann, Armin Hoffmann, Johannes K.‐M. Knobloch, Marylyn M. Addo, Petra Arck, Anke Diemert, Corinna Cramer, Kurt Hecher, P. Höger, Anja Große Lordemann, Maria-Dorothee Neumann, Bernd Hartz, Anne Kruchen, Ingo Müller, Michael Boettcher, Konrad Reinshagen, Carolin Stiel, Katharina Wenke, Joana Adler Fernandes de Abreu, Marlies Bergers, Martin Blohm, Philipp Deindl, Theresa Harbauer, Cornelius Rau, Dominique Singer, Marianne Klokow, Julia C. Strauss, Stefan Blankenberg, Ines Schäfer, Jens H. Vogel, Maximilian Noelle-Wying, Julian Schulze zur Wiesch, Davor Lessel, Caroline Schmitt, Christian Drosten,

SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing

Abstract Almost 2 years into the pandemic and with vaccination of children significantly lagging behind adults, long-term pediatric humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 are understudied. The C19.CHILD Hamburg (COVID-19 Child Health Investigation of Latent Disease) Study is a prospective cohort study designed to identify and follow up children and their household contacts infected in the early 2020 first wave of SARS-CoV-2. We screened 6113 children < 18 years by nasopharyngeal swab-PCR in a low-incidence setting after general lockdown, from May 11 to June 30, 2020. A total of 4657 participants underwent antibody testing. Positive tests were followed up by repeated PCR and serological testing of all household contacts over 6 months. In total, the study identified 67 seropositive children (1.44%); the median time after infection at first presentation was 83 days post-symptom onset (PSO). Follow-up of household contacts showed less than 100% seroprevalence in most families, with higher seroprevalence in families with adult index cases compared to pediatric index cases (OR 1.79, P = 0.047). Most importantly, children showed sustained seroconversion up to 9 months PSO, and serum antibody concentrations persistently surpassed adult levels (ratio serum IgG spike children vs. adults 90 days PSO 1.75, P < 0.001; 180 days 1.38, P = 0.01; 270 days 1.54, P = 0.001). In a low-incidence setting, SARS-CoV-2 infection and humoral immune response present distinct patterns in children including higher antibody levels, and lower seroprevalence in families with pediatric index cases. Children show long-term SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses. These findings are relevant to novel variants with increased disease burden in children, as well as for the planning of age-appropriate vaccination strategies.