tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Immunol
. 2021 Dec 13;ji2100727.
doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100727. Online ahead of print.
Persistence of T Cell and Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Up to 9 Months after Symptom Onset
Jaclyn C Law[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Melanie Girard[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gary Y C Chao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Lesley A Ward[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Baweleta Isho[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Bhavisha Rathod[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Karen Colwill[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Zhijie Li[SUP] 3 [/SUP], James M Rini[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Feng Yun Yue[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Samira Mubareka[SUP] 6 7 [/SUP], Allison J McGeer[SUP] 2 6 [/SUP], Mario A Ostrowski[SUP] 1 5 8 [/SUP], Jennifer L Gommerman[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Anne-Claude Gingras[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Tania H Watts[SUP] 9 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces T cell, B cell, and Ab responses that are detected for several months in recovered individuals. Whether this response resembles a typical respiratory viral infection is a matter of debate. In this study, we followed T cell and Ab responses in 24 mainly nonhospitalized human subjects who had recovered from PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at two time points (median of 45 and 145 d after symptom onset). Ab responses were detected in 95% of subjects, with a strong correlation between plasma and salivary anti-spike (anti-S) and anti-receptor binding domain IgG, as well as a correlation between circulating T follicular helper cells and the SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG response. T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 peptides were determined using intracellular cytokine staining, activation markers, proliferation, and cytokine secretion. All study subjects had a T cell response to at least one SARS-CoV-2 Ag based on at least one T cell assay. CD4[SUP]+[/SUP] responses were largely of the Th1 phenotype, but with a lower ratio of IFN-γ- to IL-2-producing cells and a lower frequency of CD8[SUP]+[/SUP]:CD4[SUP]+[/SUP] T cells than in influenza A virus (IAV)-specific memory responses within the same subjects. Analysis of secreted molecules also revealed a lower ratio of IFN-γ to IL-2 and an altered cytotoxic profile for SARS-CoV-2 S- and nucleocapsid-specific responses compared with IAV-specific responses. These data suggest that the memory T cell phenotype after a single infection with SARS-CoV-2 persists over time, with an altered cytokine and cytotoxicity profile compared with long-term memory to whole IAV within the same subjects.
. 2021 Dec 13;ji2100727.
doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100727. Online ahead of print.
Persistence of T Cell and Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Up to 9 Months after Symptom Onset
Jaclyn C Law[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Melanie Girard[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gary Y C Chao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Lesley A Ward[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Baweleta Isho[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Bhavisha Rathod[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Karen Colwill[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Zhijie Li[SUP] 3 [/SUP], James M Rini[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Feng Yun Yue[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Samira Mubareka[SUP] 6 7 [/SUP], Allison J McGeer[SUP] 2 6 [/SUP], Mario A Ostrowski[SUP] 1 5 8 [/SUP], Jennifer L Gommerman[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Anne-Claude Gingras[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Tania H Watts[SUP] 9 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34903642
- DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100727
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces T cell, B cell, and Ab responses that are detected for several months in recovered individuals. Whether this response resembles a typical respiratory viral infection is a matter of debate. In this study, we followed T cell and Ab responses in 24 mainly nonhospitalized human subjects who had recovered from PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at two time points (median of 45 and 145 d after symptom onset). Ab responses were detected in 95% of subjects, with a strong correlation between plasma and salivary anti-spike (anti-S) and anti-receptor binding domain IgG, as well as a correlation between circulating T follicular helper cells and the SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG response. T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 peptides were determined using intracellular cytokine staining, activation markers, proliferation, and cytokine secretion. All study subjects had a T cell response to at least one SARS-CoV-2 Ag based on at least one T cell assay. CD4[SUP]+[/SUP] responses were largely of the Th1 phenotype, but with a lower ratio of IFN-γ- to IL-2-producing cells and a lower frequency of CD8[SUP]+[/SUP]:CD4[SUP]+[/SUP] T cells than in influenza A virus (IAV)-specific memory responses within the same subjects. Analysis of secreted molecules also revealed a lower ratio of IFN-γ to IL-2 and an altered cytotoxic profile for SARS-CoV-2 S- and nucleocapsid-specific responses compared with IAV-specific responses. These data suggest that the memory T cell phenotype after a single infection with SARS-CoV-2 persists over time, with an altered cytokine and cytotoxicity profile compared with long-term memory to whole IAV within the same subjects.