Cell Reports
Volume 37, Issue 1, 5 October 2021, 109773
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Article
Robust innate responses to SARS-CoV-2 in children resolve faster than in adults without compromising adaptive immunity

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109773Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Innate response against SARS-CoV-2 is robust in children despite limited symptoms

  • Resolution of inflammation and onset of B cell response occur faster in children

  • Antibody response is not compromised by the shorter antiviral inflammatory response

Summary

SARS-CoV-2 infection in children is less severe than it is in adults. We perform a longitudinal analysis of the early innate responses in children and adults with mild infection within household clusters. Children display fewer symptoms than adults do, despite similar initial viral load, and mount a robust anti-viral immune signature typical of the SARS-CoV-2 infection and characterized by early interferon gene responses; increases in cytokines, such as CXCL10 and GM-CSF; and changes in blood cell numbers. When compared with adults, the antiviral response resolves faster (within a week of symptoms), monocytes and dendritic cells are more transiently activated, and genes associated with B cell activation appear earlier in children. Nonetheless, these differences do not have major effects on the quality of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses. Our findings reveal that better early control of inflammation as observed in children may be key for rapidly controlling infection and limiting the disease course.

Keywords

SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
children
innate responses
interferon
B cells
monocytes
resolution
gene profile
antibodies

Data and code availability

The RNA-seq data have been deposited to the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) under accession number GEO: GSE166190.

This paper does not report original code.

Any additional information required to reanalyze the data reported in this paper is available from the lead contact upon request.

Cited by (0)

14

These authors contributed equally

15

These authors contributed equally

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Lead contact