Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35913989›Full record

ArticlePLoS biology2022

Ancestral SARS-CoV-2, but not Omicron, replicates less efficiently in primary pediatric nasal epithelial cells.

Yanshan Zhu, Keng Yih Chew, Melanie Wu, Anjana C Karawita, Georgina McCallum, Lauren E Steele, Ayaho Yamamoto, Larisa I Labzin, Tejasri Yarlagadda, Alexander A Khromykh and 15 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS biology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
24citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.0field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The role of children in transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern within households: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis, as at 30 June 2022.Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · 2023
    Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Frontiers in microbiology · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

25 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Yanshan ZhuSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3726-2456
Keng Yih ChewSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Melanie WuSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Anjana C KarawitaSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Georgina McCallumSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Lauren E SteeleSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Ayaho YamamotoChild Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Larisa I LabzinInstitute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Tejasri YarlagaddaCentre for Immunology and Infection Control, Faculty of Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Alexander A KhromykhSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Xiaohui WangInstitute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Julian D J SngSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Claudia J StocksInstitute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Yao XiaSchool of Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia.
Tobias R KollmannWal-yan Respiratory Research Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
David MartinoWal-yan Respiratory Research Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Merja JoensuuClem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Frédéric A MeunierClem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Giuseppe BalistreriSchool of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Helle Bielefeldt-OhmannSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Asha C BowenWal-yan Respiratory Research Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Anthony KicicWal-yan Respiratory Research Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Peter D SlyChild Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Kirsten M SpannCentre for Immunology and Infection Control, Faculty of Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Kirsty R ShortSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4963-6184
The University of Queensland · AUThe Kids Research Institute Australia · AUQueensland University of Technology · AUEdith Cowan University · AUUniversity of Helsinki · FI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Children typically experience more mild symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) when compared to adults. There is a strong body of evidence that children are also less susceptible to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection with the ancestral viral isolate. However, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) has been associated with an increased number of pediatric infections. Whether this is the result of widespread adult vaccination or fundamental changes in the biology of SARS-CoV-2 remain to be determined. Here, we use primary nasal epithelial cells (NECs) from children and adults, differentiated at an air-liquid interface to show that the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 replicates to significantly lower titers in the NECs of children compared to those of adults. This was associated with a heightened antiviral response to SARS-CoV-2 in the NECs of children. Importantly, the Delta variant also replicated to significantly lower titers in the NECs of children. This trend was markedly less pronounced in the case of Omicron. It is also striking to note that, at least in terms of viral RNA, Omicron replicated better in pediatric NECs compared to both Delta and the ancestral virus. Taken together, these data show that the nasal epithelium of children supports lower infection and replication of ancestral SARS-CoV-2, although this may be changing as the virus evolves.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2AdultChildEpithelial CellsHumans

Identifiers

PMID35913989
PMCPMC9371332
OpenAlexW4289261717

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.