A Pediatric Infectious Diseases Perspective of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Children

Andi L Shane; Alice I Sato; Carol Kao; Felice C Adler-Shohet; Surabhi B Vora; Jeffery J Auletta; Sharon Nachman; Vanessa N Raabe; Kengo Inagaki; Ibukunoluwa C Akinboyo; Charles Woods; Abdulsalam O Alsulami; Mundeep K Kainth; Roberto Parulan Santos; Claudia M Espinosa; Julianne E Burns; Coleen K Cunningham; Samuel R Dominguez; Beatriz Larru Martinez; Frank Zhu; Jonathan Crews; Taito Kitano; Lisa Saiman; Karen Kotloff

doi:10.1093/jpids/piaa099

A Pediatric Infectious Diseases Perspective of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Children

J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2020 Nov 10;9(5):596-608. doi: 10.1093/jpids/piaa099.

Authors

Andi L Shane¹, Alice I Sato², Carol Kao¹, Felice C Adler-Shohet³, Surabhi B Vora⁴, Jeffery J Auletta⁵, Sharon Nachman⁶, Vanessa N Raabe⁷, Kengo Inagaki⁸, Ibukunoluwa C Akinboyo⁹, Charles Woods¹⁰, Abdulsalam O Alsulami¹¹, Mundeep K Kainth¹², Roberto Parulan Santos¹³, Claudia M Espinosa¹⁴, Julianne E Burns¹⁵, Coleen K Cunningham⁹, Samuel R Dominguez¹⁶, Beatriz Larru Martinez¹⁷, Frank Zhu¹⁸, Jonathan Crews¹⁹, Taito Kitano²⁰, Lisa Saiman²¹, Karen Kotloff²²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
² Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Children's Hospital & Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
³ Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, California, USA.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington, USA.
⁵ Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics, Stony Brook Children's, Stony Brook, New York, USA.
⁷ Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine and Pediatrics, New York University Langone Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
⁸ Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA.
⁹ Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.
¹¹ Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
¹² Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Cohen Children's Medical Center, Northwell Health, New Hyde Park, New York, USA.
¹³ Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, University Hospital, Jackson, Mississippi, USA.
¹⁴ Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease, University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA.
¹⁵ Division of Hospital Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
¹⁶ Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado and Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
¹⁷ Division of Paediatric Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
¹⁸ Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
¹⁹ Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Children's Hospital of San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
²⁰ Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
²¹ Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, New York, New York, USA.
²² Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Abstract

Understanding the role that children play in the clinical burden and propagation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, is emerging. While the severe manifestations and acute clinical burden of COVID-19 have largely spared children compared with adults, understanding the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostics, management, and prevention opportunities and the social and behavioral impacts on child health is vital. Foremost is clarifying the contribution of asymptomatic and mild infections to transmission within the household and community and the clinical and epidemiologic significance of uncommon severe post-infectious complications. Here, we summarize the current knowledge, identify resources, and outline research opportunities. Pediatric infectious diseases clinicians have a unique opportunity to advocate for the inclusion of children in epidemiological, clinical, treatment, and prevention studies to optimize their care as well as to represent children in the development of guidance and policy during pandemic response.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; children; novel coronavirus; pediatrics.

© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected].

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Asymptomatic Diseases
Betacoronavirus*
COVID-19
COVID-19 Testing
Child
Child Health Services
Clinical Laboratory Techniques
Coronavirus Infections* / diagnosis
Coronavirus Infections* / prevention & control
Coronavirus Infections* / therapy
Coronavirus Infections* / transmission
Female
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Newborn, Diseases / epidemiology
Infant, Newborn, Diseases / prevention & control
Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical
Pandemics* / prevention & control
Pediatrics
Pneumonia, Viral* / diagnosis
Pneumonia, Viral* / prevention & control
Pneumonia, Viral* / therapy
Pneumonia, Viral* / transmission
Practice Guidelines as Topic
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious
SARS-CoV-2

Grants and funding

T32 AI074492/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States