Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 is characterized by diminished peripheral CD8 + β7 integrin + T cells and anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA response.
Santa Cruz AndréAna Mendes-FriasMarne Azarias Da SilvaSónia AndréAna Isabel OliveiraOlga PiresMarta MendesBárbara OliveiraMarta BragaJoana Rita LopesRui DominguesRicardo CostaLuís Neves SilvaAna Rita MatosCristina ÂngelaPatrício Soares CostaAlexandre CarvalhoCarlos CapelaJorge PedrosaAntónio Gil CastroJérome EstaquierRicardo SilvestrePublished in: Nature communications (2023)
Several millions of individuals are estimated to develop post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 condition (PASC) that persists for months after infection. Here we evaluate the immune response in convalescent individuals with PASC compared to convalescent asymptomatic and uninfected participants, six months following their COVID-19 diagnosis. Both convalescent asymptomatic and PASC cases are characterised by higher CD8 + T cell percentages, however, the proportion of blood CD8 + T cells expressing the mucosal homing receptor β7 is low in PASC patients. CD8 T cells show increased expression of PD-1, perforin and granzyme B in PASC, and the plasma levels of type I and type III (mucosal) interferons are elevated. The humoral response is characterized by higher levels of IgA against the N and S viral proteins, particularly in those individuals who had severe acute disease. Our results also show that consistently elevated levels of IL-6, IL-8/CXCL8 and IP-10/CXCL10 during acute disease increase the risk to develop PASC. In summary, our study indicates that PASC is defined by persisting immunological dysfunction as late as six months following SARS-CoV-2 infection, including alterations in mucosal immune parameters, redistribution of mucosal CD8 + β7Integrin + T cells and IgA, indicative of potential viral persistence and mucosal involvement in the etiopathology of PASC.
Keyphrases
- sars cov
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- liver failure
- immune response
- ulcerative colitis
- respiratory failure
- type iii
- coronavirus disease
- drug induced
- poor prognosis
- newly diagnosed
- aortic dissection
- dendritic cells
- oxidative stress
- risk assessment
- prognostic factors
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- cell adhesion
- toll like receptor
- climate change
- nk cells
- mechanical ventilation
- cell migration
- long non coding rna