Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Completed
Administrative data
| NCT number |
NCT05055466 |
| Other study ID # |
INPOSIS |
| Secondary ID |
|
| Status |
Completed |
| Phase |
|
| First received |
|
| Last updated |
|
| Start date |
January 6, 2021 |
| Est. completion date |
September 30, 2023 |
Study information
| Verified date |
April 2024 |
| Source |
St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung |
| Contact |
n/a |
| Is FDA regulated |
No |
| Health authority |
|
| Study type |
Observational
|
Clinical Trial Summary
The clinical courses of COVID-19 in children are reportedly mild, and may therefore readily
escape diagnosis. Prolonged intestinal virus shedding has been reported in children, thus
rendering the pediatric population a potentially important source of virus transmission.
However, the infectious potential of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus type 2) excreted in the stool has remained enigmatic.
The investigators hypothesize that stools carrying the virus can represent a source of
infection, at least in a proportion of instances, and therefore intend to screen stools of
children admitted to the hospital regardless of the indication in order to assess the
frequency of intestinal virus excretion. The screening will be performed by validated RTQ-PCR
(reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction) assays. In positive cases,
stool extracts will be used to inoculate permissive cells (e.g. VeroE6) under BSL3 (Biosafety
Level 3) conditions, and the infectious potential of the viruses will be determined. The
readout will be based on the assessment of cell cytopathic effects and on the expression of
subgenomic mRNA. it is expected to recruit ~100 patients for the study.
Additionally, the investigators will specifically examine children admitted to the hospital
because of COVID-19, and will determine the temporal correlation between viral loads in the
upper respiratory tract (URT) and serial stool specimens as well as swabs from the palms and
from the oral cavity using RTQ-PCR. Longitudinal studies on the infectious potential of
viruses from the URT and stool will be performed using the experimental approach outlined
above. For this part of the study, is is intended to recruit ~100 children.
Furthermore, samples derived from >200 patients from our biorepository will be used.
The insights gained from the study will greatly expand the knowledge on the epidemiological
and clinical significance of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children. If stools are identified as a
potential source of infection, the data will have an important impact on safety measures in
specific settings such as the kindergarten.
Description:
Background:
Overt COVID-19 is reportedly far less frequent children. In a study from China, children <10
years of age represented only 0.9% and children between 10-19 years of age only 1.2% of the
diagnostically confirmed cases1. Very similar data were published by the Italian registry,
indicating 0.5% and 0.7%, respectively2. In the largest pediatric study published to date
including >2000 children, 4% had asymptomatic courses, 90% had mild or moderate clinical
courses, and severe manifestations were documented in 6% of cases, mostly involving infants
below 1 year of age3. Some reports indicated asymptomatic courses in as many as 16-30% of
affected children within individual age groups3,4. In addition to common symptoms such as
fever and dry cough (40-100% of cases), diarrhea was a frequent observation in children with
COVID-19 (10-30% of cases), in contrast to adults with overt disease (4% of cases) 5-11.
Virus shedding into the stool was commonly observed in children for more than one month after
resolution of acute infection7,10. However, the infectious potential of intestinal virus
shedding, which has been demonstrated for the related viruses SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV (Middle
East Respiratory syndrome coronavirus), is currently unclear for SARS-CoV-212,13. Due to the
mild or even asymptomatic courses of COVID-19, children might represent an important source
of disease transmission. With the increasing numbers of adults who are vaccinated and the
appearance of new variants of the virus displaying different properties, the situation in
children might certainly change and may need to be reevaluated. The proposed study in
collaboration with different pediatric facilities in Austrian hospitals therefore offers an
excellent opportunity to address different aspects of COVID-19 pertaining to the pediatric
population.
Hypotheses:
- Shedding of SARS-CoV-2 into the stool is detectable in a proportion of asymptomatic
children
- In patients with COVID-19, the frequency of intestinal virus excretion is higher and
persists for prolonged time periods post infection
- Viruses excreted with the stool may display infectious potential
Study design:
During the study period of 12 months, it is intended to investigate ~500 pediatric patients
admitted to the hospital for reasons unrelated to COVID-19, with the aim to screen for the
occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 shedding into the stool in children who are not suspected to carry
the virus. The indicated number of pediatric patients to be recruited is based on the maximum
achievable number within the outlined study period. Currently, it is not possible to predict
the proportion of patients with intestinal excretion of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, the
investigators will screen ~100 pediatric patients with COVID-19 to determine the frequency
and duration of intestinal virus shedding. The majority of patients will only be investigated
upon admission to the hospital and follow-up samples will be obtained in patients who tested
positive at first analysis to document the duration of virus detectability. Furthermore,
biomaterial stored in a biorepository, including stool specimens from pediatric patients who
were hospitalized for a variety of indications, will be analyzed to determine the
detectability of SARS-CoV-2 by molecular screening, and positive cases will be subjected to
further analysis, as specified below.
Molecular testing of SARS-CoV-2 will be performed by a validated and certified RTQ-PCR assay
established according to guidelines of the German reference center, the Robert Koch Institute
in Berlin. Processing of clinical specimens will be carried out in line with pertinent
biosafety regulations. The testing for infectious properties of SARS-CoV-2 pathogens detected
in clinical specimens including particularly stool (and potentially nasopharyngeal swabs)
will be carried out in a BSL3 facility (in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Willinger, Medical
University of Vienna) by using permissive cell lines (VeroE6, CaCo2, or HCT116) under
appropriate culture conditions. The readout will be based on the documentation of cell
cytopathic effects and expression of subgenomic mRNA using established RTQ-PCR tests.
Sample collection and handling logistics:
Prospective analyses - stool samples (and various control specimens from other sites
including swabs from the pharynx, oral cavity, nose, and palms) will be collected and stored
at 4°C until transfer to the central laboratory, Labdia Labordiagnostik. The samples will be
transferred in line with the biosafety regulations (UN3373) by a rapid delivery service (EMS
or similar), to ensure arrival of the samples within three days (usually on the same day).
Upon receipt, samples will be processed immediately (virus elution in phosphate buffered
saline) and subjected to molecular analysis. In positive cases, stool extracts will be used
as quickly as possible to inoculate permissive cells (e.g. VeroE6) under BSL3 safety
conditions, and the infectious potential of the viruses will be determined. The readout will
be based on the assessment of cell cytopathic effects and on the expression of subgenomic
mRNA.Primary samples and isolated RNA will be stored at Labdia in a dedicated freezer at
-80°C until the end of the study, and will be discarded thereafter.
Retrospective analyses - biomaterial that was collected and stored in a biorepository of
Labdia Labordiagnostik
Ethical considerations and statistics:
Ethical approval for the study and informed consent for participation in the study from the
patients and/or their legal representatives as well as the staff members has been obtained.
Personal data will be available exclusively in the certified clinical laboratory, Labdia
Labordiagnostik, performing the diagnostic testing. Data processing for the present study
will be done in a pseudonymized manner by assigning serial numbers.
In line with the principal aims of the study, Fisher´s exact test will be employed for
comparing the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 detectability in pharyngeal and stool specimens, and
for assessing the occurrence of infectious virus in stool specimens.
Expected outcome and future plans:
Due to the relative paucity of data on COVID-19 in specific pediatric settings, the proposed
study will provide important insights into the clinically and epidemiologically relevant
topics outlined above. The data obtained will serve as basis for ensuing large-scale studies
addressing the infectious potential of intestinal shedding of the virus, and the measures
required for various children facilities.
Testing for infectious properties of SARS-CoV-2 pathogens detected in clinical specimens
including particularly stool (and potentially nasopharyngeal swabs) will be carried out by
using permissive cell lines (VeroE6, CaCo2, or HCT116) under appropriate culture conditions.
The readout will be based on the documentation of cell cytopathic effects and expression of
subgenomic mRNA using established RTQ-PCR tests
In general, the collection of samples will be performed at a single time point in each
patient, upon admission to the hospital. Within the prospective part of the study, follow-up
samples will be collected from patients with COVID-19 displaying virus shedding into the
stool. For the assessment of cytopathic effects and expression of subgenomic mRNA, fresh
samples will be used, whenever possible. In all other instances, samples will be frozen at
-80°C, and analyzed at a later point using an established protocol.
Clinical significance:
Due to the apparently common occurrence of prolonged intestinal SARS-CoV-2 shedding in
children, who may not display any disease symptoms, it is of paramount importance to
understand whether this putative way of virus transmission is of clinical and epidemiological
relevance, as a basis for developing appropriate protection measures. Elucidation of the
modes of transmission is critical for current and future approaches to the containment of
SARS-CoV-2 spreading.
