biostudies-literatureUnknown96(12)Stich MThe study was funded by the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, within the framework of the special funding line for COVID-19 research, part of the measures to combat the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the field of medical research. Maximilian Stich was funded by the DZIF clinical leave stipend of the German Center for Infection Research.The pivotal role of the cell entry receptor ACE2 for SARS-CoV-2 infection is well-established. When ACE2 is shed from cell surface into plasma as soluble ACE2 (sACE2), it can effectively neutralize SARS-CoV-2. This longitudinal prospective cohort study analyzed sACE2 activity in 1192 participants, aged 4 months to 81 years, 3 and 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 household exposure. Following SARS-CoV-2 exposure, participants exhibited significantly elevated sACE2 activity, irrespective of confirmed infection, with the highest levels observed in exposed children. Longitudinal analysis revealed a decline in sACE2 levels over time, reaching levels comparable to age- and sex-matched pre-pandemic controls. An increase in sACE2 activity was also confirmed in vitro in Calu-3 (human lung) cells within hJournal of medical virologye70098https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11612704biostudies-literatureElevated Soluble ACE2 Activity in Children and Adults After SARS-CoV-2 Exposure Irrespective of Laboratory-Confirmed Infection.PMC11612704Jacobsen EMLang PMohr KJanda ARenk HRabsteyn ABode SFNMagalhaes VGKrausslich HGOkun JGBartenschlager RHoffmann GFBurger FGarbade SFJeltsch KBinder MStich MElling RMuller BHaddad ATonshoff BfalseElevated Soluble ACE2 Activity in Children and Adults After SARS-CoV-2 Exposure Irrespective of Laboratory-Confirmed Infection.The pivotal role of the cell entry receptor ACE2 for SARS-CoV-2 infection is well-established. When ACE2 is shed from cell surface into plasma as soluble ACE2 (sACE2), it can effectively neutralize SARS-CoV-2. This longitudinal prospective cohort study analyzed sACE2 activity in 1192 participants, aged 4 months to 81 years, 3 and 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 household exposure. Following SARS-CoV-2 exposure, participants exhibited significantly elevated sACE2 activity, irrespective of confirmed infection, with the highest levels observed in exposed children. Longitudinal analysis revealed a decline in sACE2 levels over time, reaching levels comparable to age- and sex-matched pre-pandemic controls. An increase in sACE2 activity was also confirmed in vitro in Calu-3 (human lung) cells within h2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Dec2025-04-04T01:40:15.071Z2025-04-04T01:40:15.071ZS-EPMC116127043962400910.1002/jmv.70098