We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Download Mobile App




Genetic Factors Linked to Severe COVID-19, Viral Infections in Children

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 29 Apr 2021
Although children, in general, are thought to experience relatively mild infections with SARS-CoV-2, a subset of infected children do become very ill and develop a condition known as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).

As in adults, severe pediatric COVID-19 cases have been documented more frequently in children with conditions such as asthma, chronic lung disease, diabetes, immunosuppression, or other high-risk traits or conditions. More...
Of more than 2,600 children in the USA diagnosed with MIS-C before early March of this year, some 60% were male and more than 65% came from Hispanic/Latino or African American groups.

A team of medical scientists working with the Children's Mercy Research Institute (Kansas City, MO, USA) investigated rare genetic variants in a growing pediatric patient cohort in an effort to understand susceptibility to severe COVID-19 or other viral infections. The team shared findings from a retrospective genomic analysis on data from the Genomic Answers for Kids (GA4K), an ongoing pediatric repository that plans to enroll some 30,000 children and their family members in the coming seven years. They collected a wide range of molecular data types for the cohort, including exome sequencing, short-read PCR-free genome sequencing, whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, single-cell genomic analyses, 10x Genomics linked read mapping, and long-read sequence data.

The investigators focused on TLR3- and IRF7-dependent type I interferon immunity genes, and identified nearly four dozen extremely rare variants in 37 GA4K participants, including three deceased patients and one individual who was carrying four very rare variants in the IRF7 gene. Around half of those patients had a history of recurrent infections, though the children had not been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infections. The variants did not appear to be enriched in any one gene, and did not track with biological sex, metabolic phenotype, or with cases from the GA4K diagnostic cohort.

Isabelle Thiffault, PhD, the director of Translational Genetics and a co-author of the study, said, “Studies like these are expected to prove beneficial beyond COVID-19, since as many as 200 viruses are believed to cause respiratory infections. In a typical year, the average school age child experiences between six and 12 such infections, with acute respiratory infections accounting for up to one-fifth of acute hospital admissions in children.” The study was presented at the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics annual clinical meeting held virtually between 13-16 April, 2021.


Related Links:
Children's Mercy Research Institute


New
Gold Member
Quality Control Material
iPLEX Pro Exome QC Panel
Serological Pipet Controller
PIPETBOY GENIUS
New
Silver Member
Quality Control Material
NATtrol Chlamydia trachomatis Positive Control
New
Autoimmune Disease Diagnostic
Chorus ds-DNA-G
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more

Pathology

view channel
These images illustrate how precision oncology Organ Chips recapitulate individual patients’ responses to chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Wyss Institute at Harvard University)

Cancer Chip Accurately Predicts Patient-Specific Chemotherapy Response

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), one of the two primary types of esophageal cancer, ranks as the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and currently lacks effective targeted therapies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.