Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Viral Load Kinetics in Symptomatic Children, Adolescents, and Adults

Mathilde Bellon; Stephanie Baggio; Frederique Jacquerioz Bausch; Hervé Spechbach; Julien Salamun; Camille Genecand; Aglae Tardin; Laurent Kaiser; Arnaud G L'Huillier; Isabella Eckerle

doi:10.1093/cid/ciab396

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Viral Load Kinetics in Symptomatic Children, Adolescents, and Adults

Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Sep 15;73(6):e1384-e1386. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab396.

Authors

Mathilde Bellon^{1

2}, Stephanie Baggio^{3

4}, Frederique Jacquerioz Bausch^{2

5

6}, Hervé Spechbach⁶, Julien Salamun⁶, Camille Genecand⁷, Aglae Tardin⁷, Laurent Kaiser^{2

8

9}, Arnaud G L'Huillier^{9

10}, Isabella Eckerle^{1

2

8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular Medicine and Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
² Center for Emerging Viral Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
³ Division of Prison Health, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁴ Office of Corrections, Department of Justice and Home Affairs of the Canton of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
⁵ Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁶ Primary Care Division, Geneva University Hospitals and, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁷ Cantonal Health Service, General Directorate for Health, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁸ Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁹ Laboratory of Virology, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹⁰ Children's Hospital of Geneva, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 viral load (VL) can serve as a correlate for infectious virus presence and transmission. Viral shedding kinetics over the first week of illness for symptomatic children (n = 279), adolescents (n = 639), and adults (n = 7109) show VLs compatible with infectious virus presence, with slightly lower VL in children than adults.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV2; children; viral shedding; virus transmission.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
COVID-19*
Child
Humans
Kinetics
SARS-CoV-2*
Viral Load
Virus Shedding

Grants and funding

Private HUG Foundation