J Infect Public Health
. 2022 Jan 13;15(2):277-288.
doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2022.01.007. Online ahead of print.
Immune response to SARS-CoV-2 variants: A focus on severity, susceptibility, and preexisting immunity
Eman Alefishat 1 , Herbert F Jelinek 2 , Mira Mousa 3 , Guan K Tay 4 , Habiba S Alsafar 5
Affiliations
- PMID: 35074728
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2022.01.007
Abstract
The heterogeneous phenotypes among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has drawn worldwide attention, especially those with severe symptoms without comorbid conditions. Immune responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative virus of COVID-19, occur mainly by the innate immune response via the interferon (IFN)-mediated pathways, and the adaptive immunity via the T lymphocyte and the antibody mediated pathways. The ability of the original Wuhan SARS-CoV-2 strain, and possibly more so with new emerging variants, to antagonize IFN-mediated antiviral responses can be behind the higher early viral load, higher transmissibility, and milder symptoms compared to SARS-CoV and are part of the continued clinical evolution of COVID-19. Since it first emerged, several variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been circulating worldwide. Variants that have the potential to elude natural or vaccine-mediated immunity are variants of concern. This review focuses on the main host factors that may explain the immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in the context of susceptibility, severity, and preexisting immunity.
Keywords: Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE); COVID-19; Cross-reactivity; SARS-CoV-2; Severity; Variants of concern.