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Low Prevalence of Interferon-α Autoantibodies in People Experiencing Long COVID Symptoms.

Michael J PelusoAnthea MitchellChung Yu WangSaki TakahashiRebecca HohViva TaiMatthew S DurstenfeldPriscilla Y HsueJ Daniel KellyJeffrey N MartinMichael R WilsonBryan GreenhouseSteven G DeeksJoseph L DeRisiTimothy J Henrich
Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases (2022)
Interferon (IFN)-specific autoantibodies have been implicated in severe COVID-19 and have been proposed as a potential driver of the persistent symptoms characterizing Long COVID, a type of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). We report than only two of 215 SARS-CoV-2 convalescent participants tested over 394 timepoints, including 121 people experiencing Long COVID symptoms, had detectable IFN-α2 antibodies. Both had been hospitalized during the acute phase of the infection. These data suggest that persistent anti-IFN antibodies, although a potential driver of severe COVID-19, are unlikely to contribute to Long COVID symptoms in the post-acute phase of the infection.
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