November 6, 2020

Distinct Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 in Children and Adults across the COVID-19 Clinical Spectrum

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Vaccines and Immunity

Keywords (Tags): antibodies

• A study of children and adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection in New York found that there are different antibody responses between adult and pediatric populations. Cohorts of adults with COVID-19 had anti-spike IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies, as well as anti-nucleocapsid IgG antibody, while children with and without multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) predominantly generated IgG antibodies specific for the spike protein but not the nucleocapsid protein. Additionally, children with and without MIS-C showed reduced neutralizing activity compared to adults. The authors note that this suggests an immune response independent of MIS-C development, and highlight the need for age-specific strategies for testing and protecting the population.

Weisberg et al. (Nov 5, 2020). Distinct Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 in Children and Adults across the COVID-19 Clinical Spectrum. Nature Immunology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-020-00826-9