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Humoral cross-reactivity towards SARS-CoV-2 in young children with acute respiratory infection with low-pathogenicity
Nitin Dhochak1, Tanvi Agrawal2, Heena Shaman2
1Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Room 3061A, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
Insights
Children with prior seasonal coronavirus infections do not develop protective antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. This study found no significant cross-protection, indicating that common colds do not shield against COVID-19 in young children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Immunology
- Virology
Background:
- Children often experience mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections.
- Prior exposure to common cold coronaviruses may confer some immunity in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if antibodies from seasonal coronavirus infections protect children against SARS-CoV-2.
- To assess cross-immunity between common coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of convalescent sera from children with confirmed seasonal coronavirus infections (OC43, NL63, 229E).
- Antibody testing using immunofluorescence and virus microneutralization assays against SARS-CoV-2.
Main Results:
- Forty-two children with seasonal coronavirus infections were studied.
- Sera showed antibodies to seasonal coronaviruses but lacked significant SARS-CoV-2 neutralization.
- Forty samples showed no neutralization; two were inconclusive.
Conclusions:
- Antibodies from common coronavirus infections do not provide protection against SARS-CoV-2 in children.
- No cross-protection was observed, suggesting prior infections do not prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Background:
SARS-CoV-2 infection in children frequently leads to only asymptomatic and mild infections. It has been suggested that frequent infections due to low-pathogenicity coronaviruses in children, impart immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in this age group.
Methods:
From a prospective birth cohort study prior to the pandemic, we identified children with proven low-pathogenicity coronavirus infections. Convalescent sera from these children were tested for antibodies against respective seasonal coronaviruses (OC43, NL63, and 229E) and SARS-CoV-2 by immunofluorescence and virus microneutralization assay respectively.
Results:
Forty-two children with proven seasonal coronavirus infection were included. Convalescent sera from these samples demonstrated antibodies against the respective seasonal coronaviruses. Of these, 40 serum samples showed no significant neutralization of SARS-CoV-2, while 2 samples showed inconclusive results.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that the antibodies generated in low-pathogenicity coronavirus infections offer no protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection in young children.
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