Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
The Alpha Variant (B.1.1.7) of SARS-CoV-2 in Children: First Experience from 3544 Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests in a Cohort of Children in Germany |
| Authors: |
Meike Meyer, Anna Holfter, Esra Ruebsteck, Henning Gruell, Felix Dewald, Robert Walter Koerner, Florian Klein, Clara Lehmann, Christoph Huenseler, Lutz Thorsten Weber |
| Source: |
Viruses, Vol 13, Iss 8, p 1600 (2021) |
| Publisher Information: |
MDPI AG, 2021. |
| Publication Year: |
2021 |
| Collection: |
LCC:Microbiology |
| Subject Terms: |
Germany, COVID-19, Alpha, children, Ct-value, Microbiology, QR1-502 |
| More Details: |
In May 2021, the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) of SARS-CoV-2 was found in 91% of the SARS-CoV-2 cases in Germany. Not much is known about the symptoms, courses of disease, and infectiousness in pediatric patients with the Alpha variant. Objective: The aim of this retrospective analysis was to gain information on the infection with the Alpha variant in children and adolescents. Methods: Between 12 January 2021 and 3 June 2021, all nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) of children who received a swab for SARS-CoV-2 were included. Data were collected on standardized questionnaires. The analysis of data was anonymized and retrospective. Results: We investigated 3544 NAATs; 95 children were tested positive (2.7%) for SARS-CoV-2. For the sub-analysis, 65 children were analyzed. In 59 children, the Alpha variant was found (90.8%), and 54.2% (n = 32/59) were symptomatic. The most common symptoms were fever, cough, and rhinitis. The median Ct value was 24.0 (min 17.0; max 32.7). Conclusions: We can underline early findings that children are still less effected by SARS-CoV-2 infection with the spread of the Alpha variant. We found no evidence that children infected with the Alpha variant showed more severe symptoms or suffered from a more severe clinical course than those infected with the wild type. |
| Document Type: |
article |
| File Description: |
electronic resource |
| Language: |
English |
| ISSN: |
1999-4915 |
| Relation: |
https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/8/1600; https://doaj.org/toc/1999-4915 |
| DOI: |
10.3390/v13081600 |
| Access URL: |
https://doaj.org/article/7889fdd25f984f90b56c1d29648e91cb |
| Accession Number: |
edsdoj.7889fdd25f984f90b56c1d29648e91cb |
| Database: |
Directory of Open Access Journals |
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