Effective high-throughput RT-qPCR screening for SARS-CoV-2 infections in children (preprint)

Systematic SARS-CoV-2 testing is a valuable tool for infection control and surveillance. However, broad application of high sensitive RT-qPCR testing in children is often hampered due to unpleasant sample collection, limited RT-qPCR capacities, and high costs. Here, we developed a high-throughput approach (Lolli-Method) for sensitive SARS-CoV-2 detection in children, combining non-invasive sample collection with an RT-qPCR-pool testing strategy. SARS-CoV-2 infections were diagnosed with sensitivities of 100% and 93.9% when viral loads were >10E6 copies/ml and >10E3 copies/ml in corresponding Naso-/Oropharyngeal-swabs, respectively. For effective application of the Lolli-Method in schools and daycare facilities, SIR-modeling indicated a preferred frequency of two tests per week. The developed test strategy was implemented in 3,700 schools and 698 daycare facilities in Germany, screening over 800,000 individuals twice per week. In a period of 3 months, 6,364 pool-RT-qPCRs tested positive (0.64%) ranging from 0.05% to 2.61% per week. Notably, infections correlated with local SARS-CoV-2 incidences as well as with a school social deprivation index. Moreover, in comparison with the alpha variant, statistical modeling revealed a 31% increase for multiple (>1 child) infections per class following infections with the delta variant. We conclude that the Lolli-Method is a powerful tool for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and infection control in schools and daycare facilities.

Reactive injuries in the oral cavity associated to sars-cov-2

The virus called SARS-COV-2 is a beta RNA positive-chain coronavirus. Several types of coronaviruses are known to infect humans, including the Middle East Acute Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-COV) HCOV-OC43, HCOV-NL63, HCOV-229E, among others. During SARS-COV-2 infection, skin and mucosal lesions occur as secondary reactive manifestations due to deterioration of the systemic condition, the possibility of opportunistic infections, or adverse reaction to given treatments. Due to the presence of multiple recep-tors in the respiratory tract, the lungs have been identified as the primary sites of infection, which leads to severe acute respiratory syndrome in severe cases. The immune response is measured by a variety of host factors, as well as by the activation of interleukins, cytosine, and chymosin, which can lead to skin and oral lesions. This article identifies and describes reactive lesions in the oral cavity observed in patients with SARS-COV-2 in order to help health professionals and patients recognize manifestations of the disease more immediately.