Analyzing nasal swabs taken during the pandemic, researchers at Yale School of Medicine suggest that the frequent presence of other viruses and bacteria may have helped to protect children from the worst effects of COVID-19 by boosting their immune systems.
Rockefeller University PressJul 1 2024 Their results will be published July 1 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine .
"Prior work suggested that heightened nasal innate immunity in children was due to intrinsic biological mechanisms inherent to their age," says Ellen F. Foxman, associate professor of Laboratory Medicine and Immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine and the senior author of the new JEM study. "But we thought it could also be due to the high burden of respiratory viruses and bacterial infections in children.
The researchers found that many children-;even those without any symptoms-;were infected with respiratory pathogens other than SARS-CoV-2. This was especially true for younger children, with viruses or infection-causing bacteria being detected in around 50% of asymptomatic patients under five years old. Children with higher levels of respiratory pathogens showed higher levels of nasal innate immune activity, regardless of whether they were toddlers or teenagers.
Related Stories"This reveals that nasal antiviral defenses are not continually on high alert in young children but are activated in response to acquisition of a respiratory virus, even when that virus is not causing symptoms," says Foxman.
Covid-19 Respiratory Antibodies Bacteria Cold Common Cold Immune Response Immune System Immunity Medicine Pandemic Research Respiratory Virus SARS SARS-Cov-2 Virus
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