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Children often experience less severe symptoms from the SARS-CoV-2 infection, and a study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases found that kids’ frequent rhinovirus infections may be at least one factor that offers protection from both the risk and severity of SARS-CoV-2. Participants in this 6-month study (May 2020-February 2021) who had rhinovirus in the previous 30 days had a 48% lower risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 and, if infected, showed 9.6-fold lower viral loads (p=0.0031). Children experienced more frequent rhinovirus infections (63.4%) than teenagers (37.0%) or adults (35.6%), potentially explaining their generally milder COVID-19 illness. According to the authors, the findings suggest that repeated rhinovirus exposure primes the airway’s antiviral defenses, creating a less hospitable environment for SARS-CoV-2. Sensitivity analyses suggest that recent and symptomatic infections are associated with greater reductions in COVID-19 risk compared with more distant and asymptomatic rhinovirus infection. Researchers used RNA-sequencing to identify 57 genes with pre-infection expression levels that were inversely correlated with SARS-CoV-2 viral loads.
Helpful case of the sniffles: The article’s pragmatic title says it all: “The Common Cold Is Associated With Protection From SARS-CoV-2 Infections.” With cold and flu season approaching, the pattern of rhinovirus and COVID is one to watch.