[en] [en] BACKGROUND: The basis of the less severe clinical presentation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children as compared with adults remains incompletely understood. Studies have suggested that a more potent boosting of immunity to endemic common cold coronaviruses (HCoVs) may protect children.
METHODS: To test this hypothesis, we conducted a detailed analysis of antibodies induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children aged 2 months to 14 years.
RESULTS: Younger children had higher titers of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD), S1 but not S2 domain, and total spike (S) protein, higher avidity RBD immunoglobulin G, and higher titers of neutralizing and complement-activating antibodies as compared with older children. In contrast, older children had higher titers of antibodies to HCoVs, which correlated with antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 S2 domain but not with neutralizing or complement-activating antibodies.
CONCLUSIONS: These results reveal a unique capacity of young children to develop effector antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection independently of their immunity to HCoVs.
Thiriard, Anais; Institute for Medical Immunology, and ULB-Center for Research in Immunology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Charleroi, Belgium
Heyndrickx, Leo; Virology Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Georges, Daphnée ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Integrative Biological Sciences (InBioS) ; Institute for Medical Immunology, and ULB-Center for Research in Immunology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Charleroi, Belgium
Van den Wijngaert, Sigi; Laboratoire Hospitalier Universitaire de Bruxelles (LHUB), Brussels, Belgium
Olislagers, Véronique; Institute for Medical Immunology, and ULB-Center for Research in Immunology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Charleroi, Belgium
Sharma, Shilpee; Institute for Medical Immunology, and ULB-Center for Research in Immunology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Charleroi, Belgium
Matagne, André ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences de la vie > Enzymologie et repliement des protéines
Ackerman, Margaret E; Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
Ariën, Kevin K; Virology Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium ; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Goetghebuer, Tessa; Pediatric Department, Saint-Pierre Hospital, Brussels, Belgium ; Institute for Medical Immunology, and ULB-Center for Research in Immunology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Charleroi, Belgium
Marchant, Arnaud; Institute for Medical Immunology, and ULB-Center for Research in Immunology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Charleroi, Belgium
Language :
English
Title :
Younger Children Develop Higher Effector Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Infection.
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