SARS‑CoV‑2 infection and children: Insights from the 6th Workshop on Paediatric Virology (Review)

Abstract

The present article provides an overview of the key messages of the plenary lectures on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) infection in children, which were presented at the ‘6th Workshop on Paediatric Virology’ organised by the Institute of Paediatric Virology on October 24, 2020. SARS‑CoV‑2 is a novel human coronavirus with a positive‑sense, monopartite mRNA genome, 26‑32 kilobases in length, causing mild to severe respiratory infection in humans, including children. The spike (S) protein of SARS‑CoV‑2 is the key determinant of host/cell tropism and capacity for transmission, mediating receptor binding and membrane fusion. SARS‑CoV‑2 is predominately transmitted via the respiratory route. The effects of SARS‑CoV‑2 infection occurring early during pregnancy remain unknown. Newborns rarely experience significant morbidity and mortality. In children, SARS‑CoV‑2 severe symptomatic respiratory infection has been reported much less frequently than in adults. In addition, there have been rare cases of the newly reported multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS‑C), which has similarities with Kawasaki disease. Several therapeutic agents have been evaluated for the treatment of SARS‑CoV‑2 infection; however, few have been shown to be truly efficacious. On the whole, further research, both basic and clinical, on SARS‑CoV‑2 is essential, as without a thorough knowledge of the molecular virology of SARS‑CoV‑2, effective preventive and treatment modalities, which are so urgently required, cannot be designed and implemented.