Infants Younger Than 6 Months Infected With SARS-CoV-2 Show the Highest Respiratory Viral Loads

OCHOA, VALERIA; DÍAZ, FERNANDO ERRA; RAMIREZ, EZEQUIEL; FENTINI, MARÍA CLARA; CAROBENE, MAURICIO; GEFFNER, JORGE; ARRUVITO, LOURDES; REMES LENICOV, FEDERICO; ADAMCZYK, ALAN; AZZOLINA, SABRINA; BAQUERO, LUCÍA; BENENCIO, PAULA; BERINI, CAROLINA; BIGLIONE, MIRNA; BLEICHMAR, LUCÍA; CABRERIZO, GONZALO; CASSIME, SILVIA; CASSIME, RICARDO; CEBALLOS, ANA; CEVALLOS, CINTIA; CZERNIKIER, ALEJANDRO; DELPINO, VICTORIA; DI DIEGO GARCÍA, FACUNDO; DUCASA, NICOLÁS; ELIZALDE, MERCEDES; FLICHMAN, DIEGO; GATTI, RAMIRO; GHIGLIONE, YANINA; GIANNONE, DENISE; GÓMEZ, CLAUDIO; GONZALEZ POLO, VIRGINIA; LAUFER, NATALIA; LEICAJ, LUZ; LONGUEIRA, YESICA; LOPEZ MALIZZIA, ALVARO; MAZZITELLI, IGNACIO; MELUCCI GANZARAIN, CLAUDIA; MONTESANO, FERNANDO; MORANDO, NICOLÁS; OSTROWSKI, MATÍAS; PAMPURO, SANDRA; PALETTA, ANA; PANDO, MARÍA; PENAS, FEDERICO; PCROSSED D SIGN©REZ, PAULA; PICCARDO, CLAUDIO; PIERALISI, AZUL; PIPPO, MÓNICA; POLO, LAURA; QUIROGA, FLORENCIA; SABATTCROSSED D SIGN©, JUAN; SALVATORI, MELINA; SANANES, INCROSSED D SIGN©S; SEERY, VANE

JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES

UNIV CHICAGO PRESS

Año: 2022 vol. 225 p. 392 - 395

0022-1899

There is a paucity of reports on the characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in infants, because most studies have grouped infants with older children. We analyzed the viral loads of 45318 SARS-CoV-2-positive nasopharyngeal swab samples obtained in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Infants younger than 6 months presented higher viral loads than any other age group. Children older than 6 months showed significantly lower viral loads, similar to those founds in adults. This observation raises new questions regarding the role of infants in the spreading of SARS-CoV-2 infection.