Figure 1

(A) SARS-CoV-2 WA-01 and HRV-16 replication by quantitative PCR in primary bronchial AECs from children (n = 15) and adults (n = 10). Viral copy number was quantified by PCR in RNA harvested from AEC cultures 96 h following infection (MOI of 0.5) with either SARS-CoV-2 (red circles) or HRV-16 (blue triangles). SARS-CoV-2 replication was significantly greater than HRV-16 (median copy number 215,387 vs. HRV-16 median copy number 2211; p < 0.0001 by Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test; bars indicate median values). (B) In AEC cultures from 3 pediatric donors, multiple infectious doses of HRV-16 (MOIs: 0.5, 0.1, 0.01), SARS-CoV-2 WA-01 (MOIs: 0.5, 0.1, 0.01), SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.617.2 (Delta; MOIs: 0.5, 0.1, 0.01), and SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529 (Omicron; MOIs: 0.5, 0.1) were directly compared. Viral copy number was quantified by PCR in RNA harvested from AEC cultures (in duplicate from each donor AEC line) 96 h following infection with SARS-CoV-2 strains (red box plots) or HRV-16 (box plots). SARS-CoV-2 WA-01, SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, and SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant copy numbers were all significantly greater at each MOI tested than HRV-16 at the equivalent MOIs (Friedman ANOVA p < 0.0001; for all SARS-CoV-2 vs. HRV-16 comparisons p < 0.05).