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Children infected with Covid-19 generally show fewer symptoms and get rid of the virus better thanks to the peculiarities of their immune systems, say American scientists, who also explain why their blood has fewer antibodies.
Children suffer less from Covid-19 than adults, a fact observed by scientists and doctors around the world since the start of the pandemic. According to American researchers from Columbia University, younger people fight the disease better thanks to their immune systems. A study in this direction was published on November 5 in the journal Nature Immunology.
“In children, the disease lasts much shorter and does not cause the same damage as adults,” notes Professor Matteo Porotto, a specialist in viral pathogenesis and co-author of the study.
Children don’t need a strong immune response to get rid of the coronavirus. In fact, their blood tests reveal a particularly low amount of antibodies compared to adults.
Immunologist Donna Farber, lead author of the study, explains these seemingly contradictory findings: “There is a link between the duration of the infection and the strength of the immune response. The more severe the infection, the stronger the immune response: the body needs more immune cells to overcome the multiplication of the virus ”.
More suitable for new foreign bodies
In addition, children’s immune systems are designed more to fight off new pathogens, he continues. T cells are used to recognize and destroy cells that contain foreign antigens. In children, they are still looking for an “enemy” to identify and thus better react to these new infections.
T lymphocytes in adults are already “familiar” with a range of infections and can no longer protect the body from pathogens they do not recognize. This explains both the shorter duration of the disease in children and their lower amount of antibodies.
As such, vaccines are most effective in young people. “Babies do not produce neutralizing antibodies in response to natural infection with SARS-CoV-2, but vaccines are designed to produce an immune response in the absence of infection,” says Dr. Farber. However, with very little vaccine research being conducted on children, it remains to be seen to what extent they would be protected.
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