key: cord-322585-5gio6ruj
authors: Lanari, Marcello; Chiereghin, Angela; Biserni, Giovanni Battista; Rocca, Alessandro; Re, Maria Carla; Lazzarotto, Tiziana
title: Children and SARS-CoV-2 infection: innocent bystanders…until proven otherwise
date: 2020-06-25
journal: Clin Microbiol Infect
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2020.06.017
sha: 
doc_id: 322585
cord_uid: 5gio6ruj

In this commentary, we focus our attention on what is known about SARS-CoV-2 infection in the pediatric population. We report literature and National data. The possible and different explanations for understanding why the infection seems to be more benign and less frequent in children are discussed. The possible role of children in the COVID-19 viral disease pandemic is also commented. Finally, our work suggests to search for future evidence and containment strategies to manage virus spread.

Children, along with other members of vulnerable populations, e.g. elderly and individuals with 29 pre-existing comorbidities, typically pay a high price in terms of incidence and severity of 30 respiratory tract illnesses. However, the current available data on severe acute respiratory syndrome 31 coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) show that, from the beginning of the outbreak until now, there is a 32 low attack rate in paediatrics worldwide. Particularly, in Madrid region (Spain), individuals <18 33 years-old accounted for 0.8% of the laboratory-confirmed cases during the first 2 weeks of the Finally, the lockdown imposed until recently by some governments, along with the growing fear of 103 going to hospitals, has led to a significant reduction in the circulation of the other respiratory pathogens and in the number of Paediatric ER visits. This all could have led to a lack of laboratory

Screening 158 and severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children in

Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Children -United States

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Paediatric inflammatory multisystem 163 syndrome and SARS-CoV-2 infection in children -15

Angiotensin-converting enzyme in developing lung and 165 kidney

A crucial role of angiotensin converting 167 enzyme 2 (ACE2) in SARS coronavirus-induced lung injury

Evolution of the immune system in humans from 169 infancy to old age

Prevalence of human coronaviruses in 171 adults with acute respiratory tract infections in Beijing

Review article: gastrointestinal features in COVID 19 and the 173 possibility of faecal transmission

Children are unlikely to be the main drivers of the COVID-19 pandemic -a 175 systematic review

School closure and 177 management practices during coronavirus outbreaks including COVID-19: a rapid systematic 178 review

A Case Series of children with 2019 novel 180 coronavirus infection: clinical and epidemiological features

further studies are needed [10] .

To date, child-to-adult transmission seems to be uncommon [3] and large evidence on child-to-child