Gene clues from 333 South African children could help doctors spot severe illness earlier

Researchers from the University of Southampton and the University of Cape Town studied blood samples from 333 children in South Africa, comparing severe cases of COVID-19, RSV and tuberculosis with mild cases and healthy children. Writing in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases, they report more than 5,000 genes behaved differently in severe infections — and 82 genes that distinguish mild from severe COVID-19. The work is an early step toward simple blood tests that could warn doctors which children are at highest risk, and toward new treatment targets. The authors caution that larger studies are needed before any clinical use.