@article{Dowell_A-2022_84159,
title = {Children develop robust and sustained cross-reactive spike-specific immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection},
author = {Dowell, A. and Butler, M. and Jinks, E. and Tut, G. and Lancaster, T. and Sylla, P. and Begum, J. and Bruton, R. and Pearce, H. and Verma, K. and Logan, N. and Tyson, G. and Spalkova, E. and Margielewska-Davies, S. and Taylor, G. and Syrimi, E. and Baawuah, F. and Beckmann, J. and Okike, I. and Ahmad, S. and Garstang, J. and Brent, A. and Brent, B. and Ireland, G. and Aiano, F. and Amin-Chowdhury, Z. and Jones, S. and Borrow, R. and Linley, E. and Wright, J. and Azad, R. and Waiblinger, D. and Davis, C. and Thomson, E. and Palmarini, M. and Willett, B. and Barclay, W. and Poh, J. and Amirthalingam, G. and Brown, K. and Ramsay, M. and Zuo, J. and Moss, P. and Ladhani, S.},
month = {jan},
year = {2022},
abstract = {SARS-CoV-2 infection is generally mild or asymptomatic in children but a biological basis for this outcome is unclear. Here we compare antibody and cellular immunity in children (aged 3–11 years) and adults. Antibody responses against spike protein were high in children and seroconversion boosted responses against seasonal Beta-coronaviruses through cross-recognition of the S2 domain. Neutralization of viral variants was comparable between children and adults. Spike-specific T cell responses were more than twice as high in children and were also detected in many seronegative children, indicating pre-existing cross-reactive responses to seasonal coronaviruses. Importantly, children retained antibody and cellular responses 6 months after infection, whereas relative waning occurred in adults. Spike-specific responses were also broadly stable beyond 12 months. Therefore, children generate robust, cross-reactive and sustained immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 with focused specificity for the spike protein. These findings provide insight into the relative clinical protection that occurs in most children and might help to guide the design of pediatric vaccination regimens.},
pages = {40-49},
volume = {23},
issue = {1},
journal = {Nature Immunology},
publisher = {Springer Nature},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41590-021-01089-8},
}
