A new study of patients with Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a rare but severe complication of COVID-19 in children, reveals specific immune characteristics of COVID-19 not seen in potentially ill adults. informing scientists why SARS- CoV-2 infection occurs differently in children compared to adults.
Their results showed that while the immune landscape in pediatric COVID-19 was similar to that in adults, MIS-C patients surprisingly exhibited increased activity of circulating blood CD8.+ subset of T cells, and all pediatric COVID-19 patients induced greater B cell frequencies for a longer period of time than observed in healthy adults.
MIS-C is characterized by diffuse inflammation, a series of symptoms ranging from fever to vomiting, and insufficient blood flow throughout the body that may cause panic. To address the immune characteristics of MIS-C, Laura Vella and colleagues analyzed immune responses in blood taken from 30 hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infant patients – 14 of whom were diagnosed. confirmed by MIS-C. They compared the results of this analysis with samples from adult COVID-19 patients, recovered adult COVID-19 subjects, and healthy adults.
While MIS-C patients exhibited patterns of T cell reduction and similar activity to adults with true COVID-19, they also exhibited strong activity of circulating and interfering T cell subsets. work with the vasculature to control viral survival. This feature was not observed in adult or non-MIS-C pediatric COVID-19 patients.
Furthermore, although children with COVID-19-induced high respiratory distress syndrome maintained immune activity, overall immune activity in MIS-C patients decreased over time, parallel to clinical improvement.
All pediatric COVID-19 patients had significantly increased B cell frequency compared to healthy adults, but future work will be needed to determine how this affects disease. Taken together, these findings reflect the difference in immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 across ages and patient numbers and may help inform treatments for true COVID-19 in children. .
Source:
American Society for the Advancement of Science
Magazine Reference:
Vella, LA, et al. (2021) Deep immune profile of MIS-C shows marked but immobilized immune activity compared to adult and pediatric COVID-19. Psychology of science. doi.org/10.1126/sciimmunol.abf7570.