Humoral and cellular immune responses in vaccinated and unvaccinated children following SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection.

Objectives: The immune response in children elicited by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection alone or in combination with COVID-19 vaccination (hybrid immunity) is poorly understood. We examined the humoral and cellular immune response following SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection in unvaccinated children and children who were previously vaccinated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.

Methods: Participants were recruited as part of a household cohort study conducted during the Omicron predominant wave (Jan to July 2022) in Victoria, Australia.

International Care programs for Pediatric Post-COVID Condition (Long COVID) and the way forward.

Background: Pediatric Post-COVID-Condition (PPCC) clinics treat children despite limited scientific substantiation. By exploring real-life management of children diagnosed with PPCC, the International Post-COVID-Condition in Children Collaboration (IP4C) aimed to provide guidance for future PPCC care.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional international, multicenter study on used PPCC definitions; the organization of PPCC care programs and patients characteristics.

QuantiFERON Gold-In-Tube for the diagnosis of mycobacterial tuberculosis infection in children under 5 years of age: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Previous meta-analysis regarding the performance of QuantiFERON Gold-In-Tube in children have yielded contrasting results. Emerging data in children younger than 5 years of age necessitates a new analysis.

Methods: Systematic searches were conducted of MedLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases between 1998-2023.

Parent-Reported Child and Parent Quality of Life during COVID-19 Testing at an Australian Paediatric Hospital Outpatient Clinic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Globally, we have seen a drop in adult and child quality of life (QOL) during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about adult or child QOL during the height of the pandemic in Australia and the impact of government-imposed restrictions, specifically attending school on-site versus home schooling. Our study aimed to establish if QOL in children and parents presenting to a Respiratory Infection Clinic in Victoria, Australia, for COVID-19 PCR testing differed from pre-pandemic population norms.

A novel anterior nasal swab to detect respiratory viruses: a prospective study of diagnostic accuracy.

Detection of respiratory viruses requires testing of the upper respiratory tract to obtain specimens for analysis. However, nasal and throat swabs can cause discomfort and procedural anxiety in children. Respiratory sampling methods which are accurate and less invasive are needed.

Health of children who experienced Australian immigration detention.

Background: Australian immigration policy resulted in large numbers of children being held in locked detention. We examined the physical and mental health of children and families who experienced immigration detention.

Methods: Retrospective audit of medical records of children exposed to immigration detention attending the Royal Children's Hospital Immigrant Health Service, Melbourne, Australia, from January 2012 -December 2021.

Paediatric admissions with SARS-CoV-2 during the Delta and Omicron waves: an Australian single-centre retrospective study.

Background: The clinical course of Australian children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 infection is not well understood, particularly over the Omicron period.

Methods: This study describes paediatric admissions to a single tertiary paediatric institution through the Delta and Omicron variant waves. All children admitted from 1 June 2021 to 30 September 2022 with a diagnosis of COVID-19 infection were included for analysis.

Comparison of antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 variants in Australian children.

There is limited understanding of antibody responses in children across different SARS-CoV-2 variants. As part of an ongoing household cohort study, we assessed the antibody response among unvaccinated children infected with Wuhan, Delta, or Omicron variants, as well as vaccinated children with breakthrough Omicron infection, using a SARS-CoV-2 S1-specific IgG assay and surrogate virus neutralization test (% inhibition). Most children infected with Delta (100%, 35/35) or Omicron (81.

Stick with the nose…Saliva rapid antigen testing is not a viable method for testing children under 5 years old.

Aim: Respiratory testing with rapid antigen tests (RATs) in children under 5 years of age may be uncomfortable and presents specific challenges to testing due to compliance and procedural distress. The aim of this study was to investigate sensitivity and feasibility of self-collected nasal and saliva RAT tests compared with a combined nose and throat (CTN) swab PCR in children under 5.

Methods: Children aged between 1 month and 5 years, with confirmed COVID-19 or who were a household contact within 7 days were included.

Management of tuberculosis infection in Victorian children: A retrospective clinical audit of factors affecting treatment completion.

Background: Tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) is strongly recommended for children following infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis because of their high risk of progression to active tuberculosis, including severe disseminated disease. We describe the implementation of TPT for children and adolescents with evidence of tuberculosis infection (TBI) at Victoria's largest children's hospital and examine factors affecting treatment completion.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective clinical audit of all children and adolescents aged <18 years diagnosed with latent TBI at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, between 2010 and 2016 inclusive.

SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell memory with common TCRαβ motifs is established in unvaccinated children who seroconvert after infection.

As the establishment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific T cell memory in children remains largely unexplored, we recruited convalescent COVID-19 children and adults to define their circulating memory SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells prior to vaccination. We analyzed epitope-specific T cells directly ex vivo using seven HLA class I and class II tetramers presenting SARS-CoV-2 epitopes, together with Spike-specific B cells. Unvaccinated children who seroconverted had comparable Spike-specific but lower ORF1a- and N-specific memory T cell responses compared with adults.

Influenza vaccine administration in a paediatric intensive care unit.

Aim: We describe the clinical profile of children and outcomes of influenza immunisation for patients in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Methods: Over two influenza seasons: 19/04/2018 to 07/08/2018 and 02/05/2019 to 10/10/2019, an immunisation nurse and PICU nurse coordinator met weekly and identified patients to receive the influenza vaccine. An inpatient list of PICU patients was screened for eligible patients: greater than 6 months of age, did not have imminent procedures (e.

A case report describing the immune response of an infant with congenital heart disease and severe COVID-19.

Background: Children with SARS-CoV-2 infection generally present with milder symptoms or are asymptomatic in comparison with adults, however severe disease occurs in a subset of children. To date, the immune correlates of severe COVID-19 in young children have been poorly characterised.

Methods: We report the kinetics of immune responses in relation to clinical and virological features in an infant with acute severe COVID-19 using high-dimensional flow cytometry and multiplex cytokine analysis.

Quality of care for children with acute respiratory infections in health facilities: a comparative analysis of assessment tools.

Background: Severe childhood pneumonia requires treatment in hospital by trained health care workers. It is therefore important to determine if health facilities provide quality health services for children with acute respiratory infections (ARI), including pneumonia. Using established indicators from WHO to measure quality of care (QoC) as a reference standard, this review aims to evaluate how well existing tools assess QoC for children presenting to health facilities with ARI.

Comparison of Seroconversion in Children and Adults With Mild COVID-19.

Importance: The immune response in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection is not well understood.

Objective: To compare seroconversion in nonhospitalized children and adults with mild SARS-CoV-2 infection and identify factors that are associated with seroconversion.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This household cohort study of SARS-CoV-2 infection collected weekly nasopharyngeal and throat swabs and blood samples during the acute (median, 7 days for children and 12 days for adults [IQR, 4-13] days) and convalescent (median, 41 [IQR, 31-49] days) periods after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnosis for analysis.

Prospective characterisation of SARS-CoV-2 infections among children presenting to tertiary paediatric hospitals across Australia in 2020: a national cohort study.

Objective: To present Australia-wide data on paediatric COVID-19 and multisystem inflammatory syndromes to inform health service provision and vaccination prioritisation.

Design: Prospective, multicentre cohort study.

Setting: Eight tertiary paediatric hospitals across six Australian states and territories in an established research surveillance network-Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease (PAEDS).

Children and Adults in a Household Cohort Study Have Robust Longitudinal Immune Responses Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure.

Children have reduced severity of COVID-19 compared to adults and typically have mild or asymptomatic disease. The immunological mechanisms underlying these age-related differences in clinical outcomes remain unexplained. Here, we quantify 23 immune cell populations in 141 samples from children and adults with mild COVID-19 and their PCR-negative close household contacts at acute and convalescent time points.

COVID-19 in children. II: Pathogenesis, disease spectrum and management.

The global disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the life of every child either directly or indirectly. This review explores the pathophysiology, immune response, clinical presentation and treatment of COVID-19 in children, summarising the most up-to-date data including recent developments regarding variants of concern. The acute infection with SARS-CoV-2 is generally mild in children, whilst the post-infectious manifestations, including paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) and 'long COVID' in children, are more complex.

Characteristics and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Victorian children at a tertiary paediatric hospital.

Aim: Victoria experienced two 'waves' of COVID-19 between March and September 2020 and more cases than any other jurisdiction in Australia. Although world-wide reports of COVID-19 reflect that children are less likely to experience severe disease compared with adults, hospitalisations and deaths have been reported. We report testing and outcomes of children with SARS-CoV-2 infection presenting to a tertiary paediatric hospital in Melbourne.

COVID-19 in children: I. Epidemiology, prevention and indirect impacts.

Children globally have been profoundly impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This review explores the direct and indirect public health impacts of COVID-19 on children. We discuss in detail the transmission dynamics, vaccination strategies and, importantly, the 'shadow pandemic', encompassing underappreciated indirect impacts of the pandemic on children.

Assessing the quality of care for children attending health facilities: a systematic review of assessment tools.

Introduction: Assessing quality of healthcare is integral in determining progress towards equitable health outcomes worldwide. Using the WHO 'Standards for improving quality of care for children and young adolescents in health facilities' as a reference standard, we aimed to evaluate existing tools that assess quality of care for children.

Methods: We undertook a systematic literature review of publications/reports between 2008 and 2020 that reported use of quality of care assessment tools for children (<15 years) in health facilities.

The characteristics of SARS-CoV-2-positive children who presented to Australian hospitals during 2020: a PREDICT network study.

Objectives: To examine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of SARS-CoV-2-positive children in Australia during 2020.

Design, Setting: Multicentre retrospective study in 16 hospitals of the Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT) network; eleven in Victoria, five in four other Australian states.

Participants: Children aged 0-17 years who presented to hospital-based COVID-19 testing clinics, hospital wards, or emergency departments during 1 February - 30 September 2020 and who were positive for SARS-CoV-2.