tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Allergy
. 2022 May 14.
doi: 10.1111/all.15372. Online ahead of print.
T cell recovery and evidence of persistent immune activation 12 months after severe COVID-19
Patrick Taeschler[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sarah Adamo[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yun Deng[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Carlo Cervia[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yves Zurbuchen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Stéphane Chevrier[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Miro E Raeber[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sara Hasler[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Esther Bächli[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Alain Rudiger[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Melina Stüssi-Helbling[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Lars C Huber[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Bernd Bodenmiller[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Onur Boyman[SUP] 1 7 [/SUP], Jakob Nilsson[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: T cell lymphopenia and functional impairment is a hallmark of severe acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). How T cell numbers and function evolve at later timepoints after clinical recovery remains poorly investigated.
Methods: We prospectively enrolled and longitudinally sampled 173 individuals with asymptomatic to critical COVID-19 and analyzed phenotypic and functional characteristics of T cells using flow cytometry, 40-parameter mass cytometry, targeted proteomics and functional assays.
Results: The extensive T cell lymphopenia observed particularly in patients with severe COVID-19 during acute infection had recovered six months after infection, which was accompanied by a normalization of functional T cell responses to common viral antigens. We detected persisting CD4[SUP]+[/SUP] and CD8[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell activation up to 12 months after infection, in patients with mild and severe COVID-19, as measured by increased HLA-DR and CD38 expression on these cells. Persistent T cell activation after COVID-19 was independent of administration of a COVID-19 vaccine post-infection. Furthermore, we identified a subgroup of patients with severe COVID-19 that presented with persistently low CD8[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell counts at follow-up and exhibited a distinct phenotype during acute infection consisting of a dysfunctional T cell response and signs of excessive pro-inflammatory cytokine production.
Conclusion: Our study suggests that T cell numbers and function recover in most patients after COVID-19. However, we find evidence of persistent T cell activation up to 12 months after infection and describe a subgroup of severe COVID-19 patients with persistently low CD8[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell counts exhibiting a dysregulated immune response during acute infection.
. 2022 May 14.
doi: 10.1111/all.15372. Online ahead of print.
T cell recovery and evidence of persistent immune activation 12 months after severe COVID-19
Patrick Taeschler[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sarah Adamo[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yun Deng[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Carlo Cervia[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yves Zurbuchen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Stéphane Chevrier[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Miro E Raeber[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sara Hasler[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Esther Bächli[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Alain Rudiger[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Melina Stüssi-Helbling[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Lars C Huber[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Bernd Bodenmiller[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Onur Boyman[SUP] 1 7 [/SUP], Jakob Nilsson[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35567391
- DOI: 10.1111/all.15372
Abstract
Background: T cell lymphopenia and functional impairment is a hallmark of severe acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). How T cell numbers and function evolve at later timepoints after clinical recovery remains poorly investigated.
Methods: We prospectively enrolled and longitudinally sampled 173 individuals with asymptomatic to critical COVID-19 and analyzed phenotypic and functional characteristics of T cells using flow cytometry, 40-parameter mass cytometry, targeted proteomics and functional assays.
Results: The extensive T cell lymphopenia observed particularly in patients with severe COVID-19 during acute infection had recovered six months after infection, which was accompanied by a normalization of functional T cell responses to common viral antigens. We detected persisting CD4[SUP]+[/SUP] and CD8[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell activation up to 12 months after infection, in patients with mild and severe COVID-19, as measured by increased HLA-DR and CD38 expression on these cells. Persistent T cell activation after COVID-19 was independent of administration of a COVID-19 vaccine post-infection. Furthermore, we identified a subgroup of patients with severe COVID-19 that presented with persistently low CD8[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell counts at follow-up and exhibited a distinct phenotype during acute infection consisting of a dysfunctional T cell response and signs of excessive pro-inflammatory cytokine production.
Conclusion: Our study suggests that T cell numbers and function recover in most patients after COVID-19. However, we find evidence of persistent T cell activation up to 12 months after infection and describe a subgroup of severe COVID-19 patients with persistently low CD8[SUP]+[/SUP] T cell counts exhibiting a dysregulated immune response during acute infection.