Antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in children infected with pre-Omicron variants: An observational cohort study
Vanesa Seery,
Silvina Raiden,
Constanza Russo,
Mauricio Borda,
Largión Herrera,
Macarena Uranga,
Augusto Varese,
María Marcó del Pont,
Carina Chirino,
Constanza Erramuspe,
Laura Silvana Álvarez,
Melisa Lenoir,
Laura Daniela Morales,
Carolina Davenport,
Alexsa Alarcón Flores,
Soledad Huespe Auchter,
Yanina Ruiz,
Liliana Monsalvo,
Laura Sastoque,
Magalí Gavazzi,
Ignacio Mazzitelli,
Facundo Di Diego,
Yesica Longueira,
Bianca Mazzitelli,
Inés Sananez,
Norberto De Carli,
Mirna Marcela Biglione,
Juan Martín Gómez Penedo,
Ana Ceballos,
Natalia Laufer,
Fernando Ferrero,
Jorge Geffner,
Lourdes Arruvito
Affiliations
Vanesa Seery
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Silvina Raiden
Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde, Av. Montes de Oca 40, C1270 CABA, Argentina
Constanza Russo
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Mauricio Borda
Hospital Pediátrico Juan Pablo II, Av. Artigas 1435, W3400 Corrientes, Argentina
Largión Herrera
Hospital Dr. Salvador Mazza, Sta. Josefa Rosello 356, H3540 Chaco, Argentina
Macarena Uranga
Hospital Universitario Austral, Av. Juan Domingo Perón 1500, B1629 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Augusto Varese
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
María Marcó del Pont
Hospital Universitario Austral, Av. Juan Domingo Perón 1500, B1629 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Carina Chirino
Policlínico Regional Juan Domingo Perón, Maipú 450, D5732 San Luis, Argentina
Constanza Erramuspe
Policlínico Regional Juan Domingo Perón, Maipú 450, D5732 San Luis, Argentina
Laura Silvana Álvarez
Hospital Universitario Austral, Av. Juan Domingo Perón 1500, B1629 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Melisa Lenoir
Hospital Universitario Austral, Av. Juan Domingo Perón 1500, B1629 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Laura Daniela Morales
Policlínico Regional Juan Domingo Perón, Maipú 450, D5732 San Luis, Argentina
Carolina Davenport
Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde, Av. Montes de Oca 40, C1270 CABA, Argentina
Alexsa Alarcón Flores
Hospital Pediátrico Juan Pablo II, Av. Artigas 1435, W3400 Corrientes, Argentina
Soledad Huespe Auchter
Hospital Dr. Salvador Mazza, Sta. Josefa Rosello 356, H3540 Chaco, Argentina
Yanina Ruiz
Hospital Dr. Salvador Mazza, Sta. Josefa Rosello 356, H3540 Chaco, Argentina
Liliana Monsalvo
Hospital Dr. Salvador Mazza, Sta. Josefa Rosello 356, H3540 Chaco, Argentina
Laura Sastoque
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Magalí Gavazzi
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Ignacio Mazzitelli
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Facundo Di Diego
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Yesica Longueira
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Bianca Mazzitelli
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Inés Sananez
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Norberto De Carli
Clínica del Niño de Quilmes, Av. Lamadrid 444, B1878 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mirna Marcela Biglione
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Juan Martín Gómez Penedo
Facultad de Psicología, UBA- CONICET, Av. Hipólito Yrigoyen 3242, C1207ABR Caba, Argentina
Ana Ceballos
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Natalia Laufer
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Fernando Ferrero
Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde, Av. Montes de Oca 40, C1270 CABA, Argentina
Jorge Geffner
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina
Lourdes Arruvito
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS). Facultad de Medicina. UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG Caba, Argentina; Corresponding author at: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Paraguay 2155 C1121ABG, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Summary: Background: Despite that pediatric COVID-19 is usually asymptomatic or mild, SARS-CoV-2 infection typically results in the development of an antibody response. Contradictory observations have been reported when the antibody response of children and adults were compared in terms of strength, specificity and perdurability. Methods: This observational study includes three cohorts infected with SARS-CoV-2 between March 2020-July 2021: unvaccinated infected children (n=115), unvaccinated infected adults (n=62), and vaccinated infected children (n=76). Plasma anti-spike IgG antibodies and neutralising activity against Wuhan, Delta and Omicron variants after 7-17 months post-infection were analysed. Findings: More than 95% of unvaccinated infected children and adults remained seropositive when evaluated at 382-491 and 386-420 days after infection, respectively. Anti-spike IgG titers and plasma neutralising activity against Wuhan, Delta and Omicron variants were higher in children compared to adults. No differences were found when unvaccinated infected children were stratified by age, gender or presence/absence of symptoms in the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but a slight decrease in the antibody response was observed in those with comorbidities. Vaccination of previously infected children with two doses of the inactivated BBIBP-CorV or the mRNA vaccines, BNT162b2 and/or mRNA-1273, further increased anti-spike IgG titers and neutralising activity against Wuhan, Delta and Omicron variants. Interpretation: Unvaccinated infected children mount a more potent and sustained antibody response compared with adults, which is significantly increased after vaccination. Further studies including not only the analysis of the immune response but also the effectiveness to prevent reinfections by the different Omicron lineages are required to optimise vaccination strategy in children. Funding: National Agency for Scientific and Technological Promotion from Argentina (PICTO-COVID-SECUELAS-00007 and PMO-BID-PICT2018-2548).