tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Infect Dis
. 2024 Jun 5:jiae301.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiae301. Online ahead of print. The kinetics and durability of antibody and T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 in children
Megan A Files[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Lauren Gentles[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Leanne Kehoe[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Amanda Adler[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Kirsten Lacombe[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jane A Dickerson[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Alexander Greninger[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Alpana Waghmare[SUP] 2 3 5 [/SUP], Tarayn Fairlie[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Kimberly Pringle[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Claire M Midgley[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Melissa Briggs Hagen[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Janet A Englund[SUP] 2 3 5 [/SUP], Chetan Seshadri[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: The kinetics and durability of T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 in children are not well-characterized. We studied a cohort of children aged 6 months to 20 years with COVID-19 in whom peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and sera were archived at approximately 1, 6, and 12 months post-symptom onset.
Methods: We compared antibody (N = 85) and T-cell responses (N = 26) to nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S) glycoprotein over time across four age strata: 6 months to 5 years, 5-9, 10-14, and 15-20 years.
Results: N-specific antibody responses declined over time, becoming undetectable in 26/32 (81%) children by approximately one year post-infection. Functional breadth of anti-N CD4+ T-cell responses also declined over time and were positively correlated with N-antibody responses (Pearson's r = 0.31, p = 0.008). CD4+ T-cell responses to S displayed greater functional breadth than N in unvaccinated children, and, along with neutralization titers, were stable over time and similar across age strata. Functional profiles of CD4+ T-cell responses against S were not significantly modulated by vaccination.
Conclusions: Our data reveal durable, age-independent T-cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins in children over time following COVID-19 infection as well as S-Ab responses overall, in comparison to declining antibody responses to N.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-COV-2 Nucleocapsid antibody; SARS-COV-2 Spike antibody; SARS-CoV-2 infection; SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody; T-cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2; antibody; children.
. 2024 Jun 5:jiae301.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiae301. Online ahead of print. The kinetics and durability of antibody and T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 in children
Megan A Files[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Lauren Gentles[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Leanne Kehoe[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Amanda Adler[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Kirsten Lacombe[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jane A Dickerson[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Alexander Greninger[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Alpana Waghmare[SUP] 2 3 5 [/SUP], Tarayn Fairlie[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Kimberly Pringle[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Claire M Midgley[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Melissa Briggs Hagen[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Janet A Englund[SUP] 2 3 5 [/SUP], Chetan Seshadri[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 38838218
- DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiae301
Background: The kinetics and durability of T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 in children are not well-characterized. We studied a cohort of children aged 6 months to 20 years with COVID-19 in whom peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and sera were archived at approximately 1, 6, and 12 months post-symptom onset.
Methods: We compared antibody (N = 85) and T-cell responses (N = 26) to nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S) glycoprotein over time across four age strata: 6 months to 5 years, 5-9, 10-14, and 15-20 years.
Results: N-specific antibody responses declined over time, becoming undetectable in 26/32 (81%) children by approximately one year post-infection. Functional breadth of anti-N CD4+ T-cell responses also declined over time and were positively correlated with N-antibody responses (Pearson's r = 0.31, p = 0.008). CD4+ T-cell responses to S displayed greater functional breadth than N in unvaccinated children, and, along with neutralization titers, were stable over time and similar across age strata. Functional profiles of CD4+ T-cell responses against S were not significantly modulated by vaccination.
Conclusions: Our data reveal durable, age-independent T-cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins in children over time following COVID-19 infection as well as S-Ab responses overall, in comparison to declining antibody responses to N.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-COV-2 Nucleocapsid antibody; SARS-COV-2 Spike antibody; SARS-CoV-2 infection; SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody; T-cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2; antibody; children.