Viral infectivity in pediatric SARS-CoV-2 clinical samples does not vary by age
Access Microbiology
; 2023.
Article
in English
| EuropePMC | ID: covidwho-2280168
ABSTRACT
At the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, there was much uncertainty about the role of children in infection and transmission dynamics. Through the course of the pandemic, it became clear that children were susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, however they were experiencing a notable lack of severe disease outcomes as compared to the adult population. This trend held true with the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, even in pediatric populations that were ineligible to be vaccinated. The difference in disease outcomes has prompted questions about the virologic features of SARS-CoV-2 infection in this population. In order to determine if there was any difference in the infectivity of the virus produced by children infected with COVID-19, we compared viral RNA levels (clinical RT-qPCR CTs) and infectious virus titers from 144 SARS-CoV-2 positive clinical samples collected from children ages 0 to 18 years old. We found that age had no impact on the infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2 within our cohort, with children of all ages able to produce high levels of infectious virus.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
EuropePMC
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Journal:
Access Microbiology
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
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