Nasopharyngeal Expression of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 and Transmembrane Serine Protease 2 in Children within SARS-CoV-2-Infected Family Clusters.
Author | Hasan, Mohammad Rubayet |
Author | Ahmad, Muneera Naseer |
Author | Dargham, Soha Roger |
Author | Zayed, Hatem |
Author | Al Hashemi, Alaa |
Author | Ngwabi, Nonhlanhla |
Author | Perez Lopez, Andres |
Author | Dobson, Simon |
Author | Abu Raddad, Laith Jamal |
Author | Tang, Patrick |
Available date | 2021-11-18T10:52:35Z |
Publication Date | 2021-11-03 |
Publication Name | Microbiology Spectrum |
Identifier | http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/Spectrum.00783-21 |
Citation | Hasan MR, Ahmad MN, Dargham SR, Zayed H, Al Hashemi A, Ngwabi N, Perez Lopez A, Dobson S, Abu Raddad LJ, Tanga P. 2021. Nasopharyngeal expression of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane serine protease 2 in children within SARS-CoV 2-infected family clusters. Microbiol Spectr 9: e00783-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/Spectrum .00783-21 |
Identifier | e00783-21 |
Abstract | Lower levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) in the nasal epithelium of children may be related to a lower incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, compared to adults. However, no direct evidence is available to support this hypothesis. In this study, we compared the transcript levels of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in nasopharyngeal swab samples ( = 234) from children and adult family members within SARS-CoV-2-exposed families and assessed the association with SARS-CoV-2 infection status. Transcript levels for ACE2, but not TMPRSS2, were higher in adults than in children ( = 129 adults and 105 children; 0.05). The expression of the two genes was not significantly different between SARS-CoV-2 positive and SARS-CoV-2 negative patients within the same age groups. However, in families with one or more SARS-CoV-2 positive adult family members, expression of both genes was significantly higher in SARS-CoV-2 positive children than in SARS-CoV-2 negative children (0.05). By multivariate analysis, ACE2 expression adjusted for age and sex was significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the overall population (odds ratio [OR], 1.112 [95% confidence interval [CI], 1.012 to 1.229]; 0.05). The degree of this association was higher (OR, 1.172 [95% CI, 1.034 to 1.347]; 0.05) in the subgroup of families with only SARS-CoV-2 positive adult family members. Our results suggest that children with lower levels of nasal ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are more likely to remain SARS-CoV-2 negative despite being exposed to a SARS-CoV-2 positive adult family member. ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are well established in the literature as SARS-CoV-2 entry factors. Recent data suggest that lower levels of nasal ACE2 in children may be associated with their lower incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, using data from nasopharyngeal swab specimens from adult and pediatric members of families in which one or more members of the family had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, we show that children with lower levels of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are more likely to remain SARS-CoV-2 negative despite being exposed to a SARS-CoV-2 positive adult family member. These results provide new insights into the roles of nasopharyngeal ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection, and they show that the differential expression of these genes in adults versus children may contribute to differential rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in these populations. |
Language | en |
Publisher | American Society for Microbiology |
Subject | COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 nasopharyngeal transmembrane serine protease 2 |
Type | Article |
Issue Number | 3 |
Volume Number | 9 |
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