Event rates and incidence of post-COVID-19 condition in hospitalised SARS-CoV-2 positive children and young people and controls across different pandemic waves: exposure-stratified prospective cohort study in Moscow (StopCOVID).

BACKGROUND: Long-term health outcomes in children and young people (CYP) after COVID-19 infection are not well understood and studies with control groups exposed to other infections are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) and incomplete recovery in CYP after hospital discharge and compare outcomes between different SARS-CoV-2 variants and non-SARS-CoV-2 infections. METHODS: A prospective exposure-stratified cohort study of individuals under 18 years old in Moscow, Russia. Exposed cohorts were paediatric patients admitted with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection between April 2 and December 11, 2020 (Wuhan variant cohort) and between January 12 and February 19, 2022 (Omicron variant cohort). CYP admitted with respiratory and intestinal infections, but negative lateral flow rapid diagnostic test and PCR-test results for SARS-CoV-2, between January 12 and February 19, 2022, served as unexposed reference cohort. Comparison between the 'exposed cohorts' and 'reference cohort' was conducted using 1:1 matching by age and sex. Follow-up data were collected via telephone interviews with parents, utilising the long COVID paediatric protocol and survey developed by the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC). The WHO case definition was used to categorise PCC. RESULTS: Of 2595 CYP with confirmed COVID-19, 1707 (65.7%) participated in follow-up interviews, with 1183/1707 (69%) included in the final 'matched' analysis. The median follow-up time post-discharge was 6.7 months. The incidence of PCC was significantly higher in the Wuhan variant cohort (89.7 cases per 1000 person-months, 95% CI 64.3-120.3) compared to post-infection sequalae in the reference cohort (12.2 cases per 1000 person-months, 95% CI 4.9-21.9), whereas the difference with the Omicron variant cohort and reference cohort was not significant. The Wuhan cohort had higher incidence rates of dermatological, fatigue, gastrointestinal, sensory, and sleep manifestations, as well as behavioural and emotional problems than the reference cohort. The only significant difference between Omicron variant cohort and reference cohort was decreased school attendance. When comparing the Wuhan and Omicron variant cohorts, higher incidence of PCC and event rates of fatigue, decreased physical activity, and deterioration of relationships was observed. The rate of incomplete recovery was also significantly higher in the Wuhan variant cohort than in both the reference and the Omicron variant cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Wuhan variant exhibited a propensity for inducing a broad spectrum of physical symptoms and emotional behavioural changes, suggesting a pronounced impact on long-term health outcomes. Conversely, the Omicron variant resulted in fewer post-infection effects no different from common seasonal viral illnesses. This may mean that the Omicron variant and subsequent variants might not lead to the same level of long-term health consequences as earlier variants.

A Novel Multiplex LAMP Assay for the Detection of Respiratory Human Adenoviruses.

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are common pathogens that are associated with a variety of diseases, including respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Without reliable, fast, and cost-effective detection methods for HAdVs, patients may be misdiagnosed and inappropriately treated. To address this problem, we have developed a multiplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the detection of the species Human adenovirus B (HAdV-B), Human adenovirus C (HAdV-C) and Human adenovirus E (HAdV-E) that cause RTIs. This multiplexing approach is based on the melting curve analysis of the amplicons with a specific melting temperature for each HAdV species. Without the need for typing of HAdVs, the LAMP results can be visually detected using colorimetric analysis. The assay reliably detects at least 375 copies of HAdV-B and -C and 750 copies of HAdV-E DNA per reaction in less than 35 min at 60 °C. The designed primers have no in silico cross-reactivity with other human respiratory pathogens. Validation on 331 nasal swab samples taken from patients with RTIs showed a 90-94% agreement rate with our in-house multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method. Concordance between the quantitative and visual LAMP was 99%. The novel multiplexed LAMP could be an alternative to PCR for diagnostic purposes, saving personnel and equipment time, or could be used for point-of-care testing.

Molecular characterization of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in Moscow from 2015 to 2018.

The aim of this study was to assess which Mycoplasma pneumoniae genotypes were present in Moscow during the years 2015-2018 and whether the proportion between detected genotypes changed over time. We were also interested in the presence of macrolide resistance (MR)Mycoplasma pneumoniae. We performed multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA), SNP typing, and mutation typing in the 23S rRNA gene from 117 M. pneumoniae clinical isolates. Our analysis suggests two major MLVA types: 4572 and 3562. In 2017-2018, MLVA type 4572 gradually became predominant. In general, the SNP type range is the same as described earlier for European countries. The analysis of MR mutations showed that 7% of the isolates had an A2063G mutation in the 23S rRNA gene with no isolates carrying an A2064G mutation. In 2017-2018, MLVA type 4572 (SNP type 1) begins to spread in Moscow, which was widespread globally, especially in Asian countries. SNP typing of our sample showed higher discriminatory power than MLVA typing.