Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection in Children Within the 12 Months Following Mild COVID-19: Insights From a Survey Study.

Understanding the correlation between immune response and protection from COVID-19 will play a pivotal role in predicting the effectiveness of vaccines in children. We studied SARS-CoV-2 reinfection risk in children 12 months post-mild COVID-19. Children under 5 years old exhibited lower reinfection risk than older infected or vaccinated siblings during 12 months postimmunization.

A silent strain: the unseen burden of acute respiratory infections in children.

The significant impact of acute respiratory tract infections on healthcare systems is well-documented, given their contribution to emergency department admissions, hospitalizations, and increased use of antibiotics and other medications. However, further research is needed to understand the burden of acute respiratory tract infections in pediatric community care to develop effective public health interventions and improve child health outcomes. Real-world data were retrieved from Pedianet, an Italian network of over 200 family pediatricians. Acute respiratory tract infection visits were identified and analysed using an infection-duration algorithm to extract individual cases. The number of follow-up visits per 100 cases was calculated to assess the burden on the Italian National Health Service. Comparisons were made overall and stratified by type of acute respiratory tract infections and epidemiological season. A total of 1,402,953 acute respiratory infections-related visits were recorded, with an overall rate of 12 visits per 100 cases. Upper respiratory tract infections had an average of 9 visits per 100 cases. Lower respiratory tract infections exhibited a higher burden, with 29 visits per 100 cases. Pneumonia showed a declining trend in the pre-pandemic era (62 to 48 visits) but rebounded in the post-COVID-19 years (32 to 42 visits). This study underscores the importance of monitoring and managing acute respiratory infections, especially lower respiratory tract infections, in pediatric care.

Validation of Administrative Data and Timing of Point Prevalence Surveys for Antibiotic Monitoring.

Importance: Point prevalence surveys (PPSs) are used globally to collect data on antibiotic prescriptions. However, the optimal frequency for data collection to ensure comprehensive understanding of antibiotic use and to target and monitor stewardship interventions remains unknown. Objective: To identify the optimal frequency for collecting data on antibiotic use among the pediatric population through PPSs leveraging administrative data. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prognostic study used a cross-sectional validation approach and was conducted in pediatric outpatient and inpatient settings in the Veneto region of Italy. Antibiotics were classified according to the World Health Organization Access, Watch and Reserve criteria. Prescribing rates of access antibiotics were analyzed for pediatric inpatients with records dated between October 1, 2014, and December 31, 2022, and outpatients with records dated between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2022. The study included children younger than 15 years with an antibiotic prescription who were admitted to the pediatric acute care unit or evaluated by a primary care pediatrician. Data analysis was performed from October 2023 to January 2024. Main Outcomes and Measures: An algorithm was developed to identify optimal time frames for conducting PPSs. This approach sought to minimize the discrepancy between quarterly and yearly PPS results, aiming to accurately estimate annual antibiotic prescribing rates in both inpatient and outpatient settings (primary outcome). External validity of the optimal PPS time frames derived from outpatient data when applied to the inpatient setting was also investigated. Validation involved assessing the effectiveness of administrative data in identifying strategic PPS periods for capturing inpatient antibiotic use patterns (secondary outcome). Results: This analysis included 106 309 children: 3124 were inpatients (1773 males [56.8%]) and 103 185 were outpatients (53 651 males [52.0%]). A total of 5099 and 474 867 antibiotic prescriptions from inpatients and outpatients were analyzed, respectively. Outpatients tended to be older than inpatients, with a median age of 3.2 (IQR, 1.3-6.3) years vs 2.6 (IQR, 0.6-6.6) years, respectively, and with a lower burden of clinical comorbidities (≥1 comorbidity: 6618 [6.4%] vs 1141 [36.5%], respectively). The algorithm successfully identified distinct time frames within the calendar year from inpatient and outpatient records optimized for PPS data collection. Rates obtained from the quarterly PPS during these identified periods exhibited greater agreement with annual antibiotic prescribing rates (inpatient: r = 0.17, P < .001; and outpatient: r = 0.42, P < .001) than those derived from the yearly PPS (inpatient: r = 0.04, P = .58; and outpatient: r = 0.05, P = .34), with a Δ reduction of up to 89.8% (where Δ represents the percentage point change in antibiotic prescribing rates). Furthermore, the optimal PPS time frames gleaned from the outpatient data demonstrated robust applicability to the inpatient setting, yielding comparable results in both scenarios. Conclusions and Relevance: This study evaluated the potential of administrative data in determining the optimal timing of PPS implementation. The quarterly PPS balanced precision and sustainability, especially when implemented during strategically selected periods across different seasons. Further studies are needed to validate the algorithm used in this study, especially in post-COVID-19 pandemic years and different settings.

Comparison between the Viral Illness Caused by SARS-CoV-2, Influenza Virus, Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Other Respiratory Viruses in Pediatrics.

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are the most common infectious syndromes, primarily caused by viruses. The primary objective was to compare the illness courses between historical RTIs and recent SARS-CoV-2 infections. The study cohort consisted of RTI cases evaluated at the Pediatric Emergency Departments of Padua and Bologna, discharged or admitted with microbiologically confirmed viral RTI between 1 November 2018 and 30 April 2019 (historical period) and 1 March 2020 and 30 April 2021 (recent period). We evaluated the risk of oxygen or respiratory support, hospitalization, antibiotic therapy, and complications among different viral infections. The odds ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated through mixed-effect logistic regression models, including a random intercept on the individual and hospital. We identified 767 RTIs: 359 in the historical period compared with 408 SARS-CoV-2 infections. Infections of SARS-CoV-2 had a lower risk of being admitted (OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.03-0.07), receiving respiratory support (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.06-0.58), needing antibiotic therapy (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.22-0.56) and developing complications (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.14-0.51) compared to all other viral RTIs. COVID-19 in children is clinically similar to other viral RTIs but is associated with a less severe infection course. Thus, most prevention strategies implemented for SARS-CoV-2 should still be considered during RSV and Influenza epidemics.

Stronger and durable SARS-CoV-2 immune response to mRNA vaccines in 5-11 years old children with prior COVID-19.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: mRNA vaccines elicit a durable humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 in adults, whereas evidence in children is scarce. This study aimed to assess the early and long-term immune response to the mRNA vaccine in children with or without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS: In a multicentre prospective observational study, we profiled the immune response to the Pfizer BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccine in 5-11-year-old children attending the University Pediatric Hospital of Padua and Bambino-Gesù Hospital in Rome (Italy) from December-2021 to February-2023. Blood samples were collected pre-, 1-, and 6-months after vaccination. Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) and anti-spike-receptor-binding-domain (anti-S-RBD) IgG titers were analyzed through Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT) and chemiluminescent immune-enzymatic assay (CLIA), respectively. Immune cell phenotypes were analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Sixty children (26 [43 %] female, median age = 8 years [IQR = 7-10.7]) were enrolled in the study, including 46 children with a laboratory-confirmed previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2-recovered) and 14 SARS-CoV-2-naïve participants defined as the absence of antigen-specific antibodies before vaccination. SARS-CoV-2-recovered participants recorded higher anti-S-RBD IgG and Wild-type and Omicron BA.2 NAbs titers than SARS-CoV-2-naïve participants at both 1- and 6-months after vaccination. Antibody titers correlated with T (Tregs) and B (Bregs) regulatory cell frequencies in SARS-CoV-2-recovered children. Both SARS-CoV-2-recovered and SARS-CoV-2-naïve participants decreased antibody titers by approximately 100 to 250 % from 1 to 6 months. While children with immunocompromising underlying conditions developed immune responses comparable to those of healthy children, solid organ transplant recipients exhibited lower levels of NAbs and anti-S-RBD IgG titers, as well as reduced frequencies of Tregs and Bregs. CONCLUSIONS: mRNA vaccination triggered a higher production of specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies along with increased levels of regulatory cells in children with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection up to the following 6 months. These findings provide insights into boosting pre-existing immunity.

Retrospective Analysis of the Real-World Use of Topical Antimicrobials in the Paediatric Population with Impetigo in Italy: Focus on the Role of Ozenoxacin 1% Cream.

Using electronic data from a large population-based network of Family Paediatricians (Pedianet), we aimed to describe the use of topical antimicrobials, including ozenoxacin 1% cream, in impetigo in children in Italy. We included 2929 children aged 6 months-14 years from 2016 to 2019 with at least one episode of impetigo treated with topical antimicrobials. Overall, 3051 cases of impetigo were included in the analysis. Treatment started in most cases on the same day as the impetigo diagnosis and lasted around eight days. In about 8% of the cases, a systemic antibiotic was prescribed after the topical antimicrobial, usually after 4-14 days. In this study, ozenoxacin was used in 8% of the cases. Treatment duration was significantly shorter for patients prescribed ozenoxacin compared to the whole study population (median of six vs. seven days, respectively). In contrast, the rate of treatment failure was similar. Very few adverse reactions were identified.

Clinical features of COVID-19 in Italian outpatient children and adolescents during Parental, Delta, and Omicron waves: a prospective, observational, cohort study.

Introduction: COVID-19 features changed with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in adults. This study aims to describe COVID-19 symptoms in children and adolescents during the Parental, Delta, and Omicron eras. Methods: A single-centre, prospective observational study was conducted on individuals aged 0-20 years attending the University Hospital of Padua (Italy) from April 2020 to December 2022. COVID-19 cases were defined by positive SARS-CoV-2 molecular detection and/or serology; patient/family symptoms and virological positivity were considered to determine the infection onset. Variables were summarized and compared using appropriate tests of descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 509 cases [46% female, median age eight years (IQR: 4-12)] were studied. Three-hundred-eighty-seven (76%), 52 (10%), and 70 (14%) subjects experienced COVID-19 during the Parental, Delta, and Omicron waves, respectively. All subjects developed an asymptomatic/mild COVID-19. Overall, the most frequent symptoms were fever (47%) and rhinitis (21%), which showed a significant increasing incidence from the Parental to Omicron waves (p < 0.001). Conversely, diarrhea was most common during the pre-Omicron eras (p = 0.03). Stratifying symptoms according to the age group, fever, rhinitis, and skin rashes were observed more frequently among infants/toddlers; conversely, fatigue was more common in children older than five years. The duration of symptoms was similar across different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs); conversely, the number of symptoms varied according to the age group (p < 0.0001). Discussion: This study showed differences in COVID-19 clinical presentation among infants, children, and adolescents and confirmed Omicron infection is more likely to be associated with upper respiratory symptoms. However, further population-based studies are needed to support these findings. In addition, active surveillance will play a crucial role in assessing the disease severity of future VOCs.

Wheeze Among Children Born During COVID-19 Lockdown.

This cohort study evaluates the association between the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown and rates of wheezing and use of respiratory medications among children in Italy.