Texture immune system prevents COVID-19 infection in children

Children are protected from COVID-19 abuse because their immune system is quick to attack the virus, a new study has found.

The research is led by the Murdoch Children ‘s Research Institute (MCRI) and published in Nature Communication, found that specific cells in a child’s immune system rapidly target the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

Dr Melanie Neeland at MCRI said the reasons why children have moderate COVID-19 infection compared to adults, and the immune mechanisms that underlie this protection, were not known until they were examined. to do this.

Children are less likely to be infected with the virus and up to a third of them are asymptomatic, which is quite different from the higher frequency and severity seen in children for most viruses. another breath, “she said.

Understanding the fundamental age-related differences in the depth of COVID-19 will provide important insights and opportunities for prevention and treatment, both for COVID-19 and future pandemics. “

Dr Melanie Neeland, MCRI

The study included a study of blood samples from 48 children and 70 adults across 28 Melbourne homes who had, or were exposed to, the new coronavirus. Immune responses were monitored at the acute stage of the disease and up to two months later.

Francesca Orsini and Alessandro Bartesaghi took part in the study along with their two daughters, Beatrice and Camilla, after all tested positive for COVID-19.

The two girls, ages six and two, had only a mild nose, but Francesca and Alessandro had severe obesity, headache, muscle pain and loss of taste and sense of taste. It took Francesca and Alessandro at least a fortnight to get over it.

Dr Neeland said the study showed that children with COVID-19 have a stronger immune response to the virus compared to adults.

“Coronavirus infection in children was characterized by activation of neutrophils, the specialized white blood cell that helps heal damaged tissues and dissolve diseases, and a decrease in first-responder immune cells such as monocytes, dendritic cells and natural killer cells from the blood, “she said. “This suggests that those immune-fighting immune cells are migrating to infectious sites, cleaning up the virus quickly before it can catch on.”

“This shows that the tissue immune system, our first line of defense against germs, is essential to prevent heavy COVID-19 in children. Importantly, this immune response has not been re- representation among adults in the study. “

But Dr. Neeland said children and adults who were exposed to, but tested negative for the coronavirus, had also altered immune responses.

“Both children and adults had increased neutrophil numbers, up to seven weeks after exposure to the virus, which may have provided a degree of protection from infection,” she said.

The study confirms a previous MCRI study that found that three children in a Melbourne family developed a similar immune response after prolonged exposure to the coronavirus from their parents.

The research said that although the children were infected with the coronavirus, they were able to trigger an immune response that was highly effective in preventing the virus from recurring, which meaning they never returned a positive test.