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J Microbiol Immunol Infect
. 2023 Mar 17;S1684-1182(23)00071-3.
doi: 10.1016/j.jmii.2023.03.003. Online ahead of print.
Long term SARS-CoV-2-specific cellular immunity after COVID-19 in liver transplant recipients
Maria J Citores 1 , Aranzazu Caballero-Marcos 2 , Valentín Cuervas-Mons 3 , Roberto Alonso-Fernández 4 , Javier Graus-Morales 5 , Ana Arias-Milla 6 , Maricela Valerio 7 , Patricia Muñoz 8 , Magdalena Salcedo 9
Affiliations
- PMID: 36964052
- PMCID: PMC10020132
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jmii.2023.03.003
Abstract
Purpose: Long-term immunity after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in immunosuppressed patients is not well characterized. We aimed to explore the long-term natural immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in liver transplant (LT) recipients compared to the non-transplanted population (control group).
Methods: Fifteen LT recipients and 15 controls matched according to variables associated with disease severity were included at 12 months following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) onset. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with peptide pools covering spike (S), nucleocapside (N), and membrane (M) proteins. Reactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were identified using flow cytometry, and cytokine production was evaluated in the culture supernatants using cytometric bead array. Serum anti-N and anti-S IgG antibodies were detected with chemiluminescence.
Results: The percentage of patients with a positive response in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells against each viral protein and IL2, IL10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ levels was similar between LT recipients and controls. IFN-γ levels were positively correlated with the percentage of reactive CD4+ (p = 0.022) and CD8+ (p = 0.043) T cells to a mixture of M + N + S peptide pools. The prevalence and levels of anti-N and anti-S IgG antibodies were slightly lower in the LT recipients, but the difference was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: LT recipients exhibited a similar T cell response compared to non-transplanted individuals one year after COVID-19 diagnosis.
Keywords: Flow cytometry; Humoral immunity; Liver transplantation; Reactive T cells; SARS-CoV-2.