Journal
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 13, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27595-9
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Funding
- State Ministry of Baden-Wurttemberg for Economic Affairs, Labor and Housing Construction [FKZ-3-4332.62NMI-67, FKZ-3-4332.62-NMI-68]
- Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Wurttemberg
- Ulm center
- Heidelberg center
- Federal Ministry of Health
- NIH [R01 AI 050529, R37 AI 150590]
- German Federal Ministry of Education and Research [BMBF 01GL1746B]
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This study compares the humoral immune response in children and adults following SARS-CoV-2 infection and finds that children are more likely to have asymptomatic infections and higher levels of specific antibodies that persist for a longer time. Symptomatic and asymptomatic infections induce similar humoral responses across all age groups.
The quality and persistence of children's humoral immune response following SARS-CoV-2 infection remains largely unknown but will be crucial to guide pediatric SARS-CoV-2 vaccination programs. Here, we examine 548 children and 717 adults within 328 households with at least one member with a previous laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. We assess serological response at 3-4 months and 11-12 months after infection using a bead-based multiplex immunoassay for 23 human coronavirus antigens including SARS-CoV-2 and its Variants of Concern (VOC) and endemic human coronaviruses (HCoVs), and additionally by three commercial SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays. Neutralization against wild type SARS-CoV-2 and the Delta VOC are analysed in a pseudotyped virus assay. Children, compared to adults, are five times more likely to be asymptomatic, and have higher specific antibody levels which persist longer (96.2% versus 82.9% still seropositive 11-12 months post infection). Of note, symptomatic and asymptomatic infections induce similar humoral responses in all age groups. SARS-CoV-2 infection occurs independent of HCoV serostatus. Neutralization responses of children and adults are similar, although neutralization is reduced for both against the Delta VOC. Overall, the long-term humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in children is of longer duration than in adults even after asymptomatic infection.
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