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Why do children seem to be doing better with COVID-19 than adults? This question doctors and scientists have been asking themselves almost from the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Researchers at Stanford University in the US have just announced that they have found a possible answer. Their discovery was published by the prestigious scientific journal “Science”.
- Children of all ages can get COVID-19, but most usually have mild or no symptoms
- Study: blood collected from children before the pandemic had more B cells that could bind to SARS-CoV-2 than in adult blood. This was despite the fact that the children had not yet been exposed to this coronavirus
- Researchers hypothesize that prior exposure to the human coronavirus (which causes colds) may stimulate cross-immunity, and that these types of clonal reactions may have the highest frequency in childhood
- More information about the coronavirus can be found on the TvoiLokony home page
Already at the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it was noticed that children had a milder infection with the coronavirus – the symptoms of COVID-19 were often absent or the symptoms were mild.
It is worth referring here to information about more frequent severe cases of COVID-19 among children. – It is true that more people in the group of children and adolescents have some symptoms after being infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. However, it is not true and I do not note it in my hospital that the severe COVID-19 courses in this age group are growing rapidly – said Prof. Magdalena Marczyńska, specialist in infectious diseases in children. The doctor emphasized that most children are still mildly infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
The prestigious Mayo Clinic also points to this in its communications (the organization conducts research and clinical activities, as well as integrated patient care). As he reports on mayoclinic.org, children of all ages can develop COVID-19, but most usually have mild or no symptoms.
- How do children get COVID-19 and what are their symptoms?
Why is this happening? Scientists have been trying to unravel the mystery almost from the beginning of the pandemic. The probable explanation was found by scientists from the American Stanford University. They were announced on April 12 in Science, one of the most prestigious scientific journals. The authors point out that these studies are still in their early stages, but could explain why children have a milder COVID-19 transition.
Why Are Children Better With COVID-19?
In their search for an answer to the above question, scientists of course focused on the immune system. And, in fact, they found an element that could be responsible (at least in part) for the lighter course of COVID-19 in children. But from the beginning.
The immune system includes: cells such as B lymphocytes (recognize the “enemy”, produce antibodies), T lymphocytes (identify and destroy virus-infected cells) and macrophages (destroy microorganisms and other foreign cells). However, scientists note that this does not mean that we all have the same set of immune cells. «B lymphocytes are responsible for remembering pathogens that our bodies have encountered before, so they can alert you if they come across them again. Depending on what diseases we have already been exposed to and how the receptors that store this >> memory << change and mutate, each of us has a different >> variety << of immune cells "- the scientists explain.
- Lymphocytes – the role in the body and deviations from the norm [EXPLAINED]
Recall that the receptor function is performed by antibodies (immunoglobulins) present on the surface of the B lymphocyte. They are able to bind to a given antigen / pathogen (each antibody recognizes one specific antigen), triggering an immune response against it (a series of defense reactions).
With all this in mind, researchers at Stanford University analyzed how immune cells differ from person to person, but also how they may change throughout a person’s life. They found that blood collected from children before the pandemic contained more B cells that could bind to SARS-CoV-2 than in the blood of adults. This happened despite the fact that the children had not yet been exposed to this pathogen. How it’s possible?
COVID-19 in children. How does their immune system work?
The researchers explain that the receptors mentioned above are built on the same ‘backbone’ known as immunoglobulin sequences. However, they can change or mutate, creating a whole range of receptors capable of destroying pathogens that the body has not yet dealt with. We touch here the concept of the so-called cross resistance. Thanks to the memory of lymphocytes, the immune response is faster and stronger upon re-contact with the antigen. If such a response occurs in the case of infection with a similar pathogen, it is precisely cross-resistance.
In fact, when scientists looked at the B-cell receptors in children, they found that, compared to adults, they had more ‘clones’ targeting the viruses and bacteria with which they had already come into contact. More B cells were also seen in the children, and they could ‘switch’ to become effective against SARS-CoV-2 without first coming into contact with it.
According to the researchers, this may be due to the fact that the immune system of children is better transferred to a wide range of antigens after exposure to a different, less dangerous coronavirus than the one responsible for the current pandemic (remember that coronaviruses are responsible for about 10-20 percent of colds). ‘We hypothesize that prior exposure to the human coronavirus can stimulate cross-immunity and that such clonal responses may be most frequent in childhood,’ concluded the researchers, stressing that ‘immune responses in children are particularly important as they form the initial pool of memory B lymphocytes, which shapes the body’s future defense responses ».
Lastly, researchers at Stanford University point out that there are likely a number of factors that make children generally have milder COVID-19 symptoms. Their findings, however, unraveled some of the mystery, providing insight into childhood B-cell flexibility and its role in future immune responses.
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