Insights in paediatric virology during the COVID-19 era (Review)

The present article provides an overview of the key messages of the topics discussed at the ‘7th Workshop on Paediatric Virology', which was organised virtually on December 20, 2021 by the Institute of Paediatric Virology, located on the Island of Euboea in Greece. The workshop's plenary lectures were on: i) viral pandemics and epidemics in the ancient Mediterranean;ii) the impact of obesity on the outcome of viral infections in children and adolescents;and iii) COVID-19 and artificial intelligence. Despite the scarcity of evidence from fossils and remnants, viruses have been recognised as significant causes of several epidemics in the ancient Mediterranean. Paediatric obesity, a modifiable critical health risk factor, has been shown to impact on the development, progression and severity of viral infections. Thus, the prevention of paediatric obesity should be included in formulating public health policies and decision-making strategies against emerging global viral threats. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, artificial intelligence has been used to facilitate the identification, monitoring and prevention of SARS-CoV-2. In the future, it will play a fundamental role in the surveillance of epidemic-prone infectious diseases, in the repurposing of older therapies and in the design of novel therapeutic agents against viral infections. The collaboration between different medical specialties and other diverse scientific fields, including archaeology, history, epidemiology, nutritional technologies, mathematics, computer technology, engineering, medical law and ethics is essential for the successful management of paediatric viral infections. The current COVID-19 pandemic has underscored this need, which should be further encouraged in modern medical education.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection in an Adolescent With X-linked Agammaglobulinemia.

We present a case of a 17-year-old boy with X-linked agammaglobulinemia who had mild disease when initially infected with SARS-CoV-2 but after recovering from acute infection developed fevers and a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate that persisted for several weeks without any ongoing respiratory symptoms. Multiple nasopharyngeal swabs were found to be negative for SARS-CoV-2 during the febrile period, but typical changes of COVID-19 on high resolution CT chest scan led to the detection of SARS-CoV-2 on RT-PCR in a sample from a bronchoalveolar lavage. His fevers completely resolved after a 5-day course of remdesivir.

Training in paediatric virology in the UK: A brief overview (Review).

Paediatric virology is a bold, new scientific field, where paediatrics focuses on the newly acquired knowledge from clinical virology, enriched with current advances in epidemiology, molecular medicine, evidence-based medicine, clinical governance, quality improvement, pharmacology and immunology. Although there are several methods with which to obtain training in paediatric viral infections in the UK, paediatric virology does not currently exist as a specific subspecialty. The aim of the present article was to present the existing educational platforms and training options in paediatric virology in the UK available to trainees wanting to pursue a clinical and/or academic career in paediatric virology.