AUTHOR=Raineri Alessia , Rueegg Sonja , Radtke Thomas , Kriemler Susi , Zens Kyra , Pantaleo Giuseppe , Fenwick Craig , Pellaton Céline , Puhan Milo A. 

TITLE=Assessing the Value of T cell Monitoring in the General Population of Children and Adolescents – Insights From the Ciao Corona Cohort Study

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 70 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2025.1608612

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2025.1608612

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=ObjectivesSerological monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in children and adolescents has been crucial for pandemic surveillance and response, while the role of T cell response monitoring remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess the potential of T cell response monitoring in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe compared antibody and T cell-mediated immune responses in a subpopulation (n = 109) of children and adolescents from the Ciao Corona cohort study. Participants were followed up over 6 months, from November/December 2021 to June/July 2022, during the Delta and Omicron waves in Switzerland.ResultsCirculating, virus-specific T cell responses in children and adolescents were generally low and heterogeneous. T cell-mediated responses were not consistent with SARS-CoV-2 infection status, with responses detectable in some seronegative individuals and not detectable in a considerable number of seropositive participants.ConclusionCirculating, virus-specific T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 in children and adolescents from the general population offer limited additional insight. Monitoring humoral immunity is likely a more cost-effective approach and should be the primary focus of immunological surveillance in the general paediatric population.