tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Pediatr Infect Dis J
. 2022 Jun 7.
doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000003607. Online ahead of print.
Household Secondary Transmission of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Alpha Variant From a Community Cluster in a Nursery in Japan
Tatsuki Ikuse[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yuta Aizawa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yugo Shobukawa[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Nobuko Tomiyama[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hitoshi Nakayama[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Masako Takahashi[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Kensuke Muto[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Satoshi Hasegawa[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Masashi Takahashi[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Miyako Kon[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Tsutomu Tamura[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Haruki Matsumoto[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Reiko Saito[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Akihiko Saitoh[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Spread of variants of concerns (VOCs) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an increase in children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In February 2021, clusters of the Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 started to be reported in Niigata, Japan, including a large nursery cluster. We investigated the transmission routes and household secondary attack rates (SARs) in this cluster.
Methods: Epidemiologic data related to a nursery cluster in Niigata, Japan, particularly child-origin and adult-origin SARs, were analyzed. VOCs were confirmed by whole-genome sequencing of virus from patients.
Results: In total, 42 persons (22 children and 20 adults) in the cluster were infected with the Alpha variant. In the nursery, 13 of 81 children (16.0%) and 4 of 24 teachers (16.7%) were infected. SARS-CoV-2 later spread to 25 persons (10 children and 15 adults) outside the nursery. Child-origin and adult-origin household SARs were 27.7% (13/47) and 47.0% (8/17) (P = 0.11), respectively, which were higher than rates attributable to non-VOCs in previous studies.
Conclusions: As compared with non-VOCs, the Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 exhibited high transmissibility among children and adults and may pose a high risk for household secondary transmission from SARS-CoV-2-infected children. Increased transmissibility of current or future VOCs could lead to greater transmission from children to adults or other children.
. 2022 Jun 7.
doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000003607. Online ahead of print.
Household Secondary Transmission of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Alpha Variant From a Community Cluster in a Nursery in Japan
Tatsuki Ikuse[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yuta Aizawa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yugo Shobukawa[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Nobuko Tomiyama[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hitoshi Nakayama[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Masako Takahashi[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Kensuke Muto[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Satoshi Hasegawa[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Masashi Takahashi[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Miyako Kon[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Tsutomu Tamura[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Haruki Matsumoto[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Reiko Saito[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Akihiko Saitoh[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35703299
- DOI: 10.1097/INF.0000000000003607
Abstract
Background: Spread of variants of concerns (VOCs) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an increase in children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In February 2021, clusters of the Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 started to be reported in Niigata, Japan, including a large nursery cluster. We investigated the transmission routes and household secondary attack rates (SARs) in this cluster.
Methods: Epidemiologic data related to a nursery cluster in Niigata, Japan, particularly child-origin and adult-origin SARs, were analyzed. VOCs were confirmed by whole-genome sequencing of virus from patients.
Results: In total, 42 persons (22 children and 20 adults) in the cluster were infected with the Alpha variant. In the nursery, 13 of 81 children (16.0%) and 4 of 24 teachers (16.7%) were infected. SARS-CoV-2 later spread to 25 persons (10 children and 15 adults) outside the nursery. Child-origin and adult-origin household SARs were 27.7% (13/47) and 47.0% (8/17) (P = 0.11), respectively, which were higher than rates attributable to non-VOCs in previous studies.
Conclusions: As compared with non-VOCs, the Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 exhibited high transmissibility among children and adults and may pose a high risk for household secondary transmission from SARS-CoV-2-infected children. Increased transmissibility of current or future VOCs could lead to greater transmission from children to adults or other children.