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C Infect Dis
. 2021 Sep 23;21(1):991.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-021-06679-3.
The host immune response of a discharged COVID-19 patient with twice reemergence of SARS-CoV-2: a case report
Xiaobin Zao # 1 2 , Yang Zhou # 3 , Yijun Liang 1 4 , Xu Cao 1 4 , Hening Chen 1 4 , Xiaoke Li 5 6 , Yong'an Ye 7 8
Affiliations
- PMID: 34556058
- DOI: 10.1186/s12879-021-06679-3
Abstract
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global pandemic. There have been reports that long-term SARS-CoV-2 RNA shedding and re-infection of COVID-19 patients existed. However, the specific mechanism, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19 are still unclarified.
Case presentation: In this case, we reported a 64-year-old patient who had a long-term course of COVID-19 for 174 days with two retests of SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive after discharging from the hospital. The patient's serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) of SARS-CoV-2 tested positive after the initial infection. And during treatment, the CD4 + T cell count and ratio to peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) were in dynamic change.
Conclusions: Our results suggested that the host immune system responded with IgG production after SARS-CoV-2 infection, but was not protective enough for the patient. The reemergence of SARS-CoV-2 could be related to the cell count and proportion of CD4 + T cells in PBMC. And the increase of CD4 + T cells after treatment may help to clear the virus.
Keywords: COVID-19; Host immune response; RNA test; Reemergence; SARS-CoV-2.