Dataset Information

Severity of Illness Caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Variants of Concern in Children: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study

ABSTRACT:

Background:

Recent surges in coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) is attributed to the emergence of more transmissible severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOCs). However, the relative severity of SARS-CoV-2 VOCs in children is unknown.

Methods:

This retrospective single-center cohort study was performed at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, academic free-standing children’s hospital. We included all children ≤ 18 years-old diagnosed with COVID-19 between October 15th, 2020 and August 31st, 2021 and whose SARS-CoV-2 isolate was sequenced using the Illumina platform. For each patient sample, we identified the SARS-CoV-2 lineage, which was assigned to one of the following groups: Non-VOC, alpha VOC, beta VOC, gamma VOC, or delta VOC. We measured frequency of 5 markers of COVID-19 severity: hospitalization; COVID-19 pharmacologic treatment; respiratory support; intensive care unit admission; and severe disease as classified by the COVID-19 World Health Organization (WHO) Clinical Progression Scale (severe disease; score ³ 6). A series of logistic regression models were fitted to estimate odds of each severity marker with each VOC (in comparison to non-VOCs), adjusting for COVID-19 community incidence and demographic and clinical co-variates.

Results:

During the study period, 2,025 patients tested positive for SARS-CoV-2; 1,422 (70.2%) had sufficient viral load to permit sequencing. Among the 499 (35.1%) patients whose isolate was sequenced, median (inter-quartile range) age was 7 (1,12) years; 256 (51.3%) isolates were a VOC: 96 (37.5%) alpha, 38 (14.8%) gamma, and 119 (46.5%) delta. After adjusting for age, Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, high-risk medical conditions, and COVID-19 community incidence, neither alpha nor delta was associated with severe COVID-19. Gamma was independently associated with hospitalization (OR 5.9, 95% CI 1.6–21.5, p=0.007), respiratory support (OR 8.3, 95% CI 1.5–56.3, p=0.02), and severe disease as classified by the WHO Clinical Progression Scale (OR 7.7, 95% CI 1.0–78.1, p=0.05).

Conclusions:

Compared to non-VOC COVID-19 infections, the gamma VOC, but not the alpha or delta VOCs, was associated with increased severity. These data suggest that recent increased in pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations are related to increased delta COVID-19 incidence rather than increased delta virulence in children.

SUBMITTER: Edward P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8562552 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:ObjectivesTo compare the RNA loads of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in nasopharyngeal specimens collected from patients with breakthrough coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the Delta variant with those in specimens collected from patients with breakthrough COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant.MethodsA retrospective, observational study was conducted, including 240 consecutive adult out-patients, of whom 121 (74 females; median age, 40 years) had COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant and 119 (65 females; median age, 48 years) had COVID-19 caused by the Delta variant. The viral RNA load was quantitated using the TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MS, USA). The viability platinum chloride reverse transcription-PCR assay was used to discriminate between potentially infectious viral particles and free (encapsidated) viral RNA.ResultsOverall, the viral RNA loads were significantly higher (p 0.003) for the Omicron variant (median, 8.1 log10 copies/mL; range, 4.0-10.9 log10 copies/mL) than for the Delta variant (median, 7.5 log10 copies/mL; range, 3.0-11.6 log10 copies/mL). A trend towards higher viral loads was noticed for Omicron compared with that for Delta across the following time frames since vaccination: 16-90 days (median, 6.83 vs. 5.88 log10 copies/mL, respectively; range, 3.91-10.68 vs. 3.67-9.66 log10 copies/mL, respectively; p 0.10), 91-180 days (median, 8.09 vs. 7.46 log10 copies/mL, respectively; range, 4.30-10.92 vs. 3.03-11.56 log10 copies/mL, respectively; p 0.003) and 181-330 days (median, 8.56 vs. 8.10 log10 copies/mL, respectively; range, 6.51-10.29 vs. 3.03-10.61 log10 copies/mL, respectively; p 0.11). The platinum chloride treated or untreated reverse transcription-PCR cycle threshold ratio for the nucleocapsid gene as the target was slightly higher for Omicron than for Delta (median, 0.62 vs. 0.57, respectively; range, 0.57-0.98 vs. 0.61-0.87, respectively), although statistical significance was not reached (p 0.10).ConclusionThe time elapsed since vaccination has a major impact on the RNA loads of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in nasopharyngeal specimens, particularly for the Omicron variant. The Omicron variant may be better adapted for replication in the upper respiratory tract than the Delta variant, in which this is unlikely given its more efficient generation of viral particles.