tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Life (Basel)
. 2022 Feb 7;12(2):244.
doi: 10.3390/life12020244.
In Patients with Severe COVID-19, the Profound Decrease in the Peripheral Blood T-Cell Subsets Is Correlated with an Increase of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus Indeterminate Rates and Reflecting a Reduced Interferon-Gamma Production
Alessandra Imeneo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Grazia Alessio[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andrea Di Lorenzo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Laura Campogiani[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alessandra Lodi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Filippo Barreca[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marta Zordan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Virginia Barchi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Barbara Massa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Simona Tedde[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Angela Crea[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Pietro Vitale[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ilaria Spalliera[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mirko Compagno[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Luigi Coppola[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Luca Dori[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Vincenzo Malagnino[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Elisabetta Teti[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Massimo Andreoni[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Loredana Sarmati[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Marco Iannetta[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Increased rates of indeterminate QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus Assay (QFT-Plus) were demonstrated in patients hospitalized with Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19. We aimed to define the prevalence and characteristics of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with indeterminate QFT-Plus. A retrospective study was performed including hospitalized COVID-19 patients, stratified in survivors and non-survivors, non-severe and severe according to the maximal oxygen supply required. Statistical analysis was performed using JASP ver0.14.1 and GraphPad Prism ver8.2.1. A total of 420 patients were included, median age: 65 years, males: 66.4%. The QFT-Plus was indeterminate in 22.1% of patients. Increased rate of indeterminate QFT-Plus was found in non-survivors (p = 0.013) and in severe COVID-19 patients (p < 0.001). Considering the Mitogen-Nil condition of the QFT-Plus, an impaired production of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) was found in non-survivors (p < 0.001) and in severe COVID-19 patients (p < 0.001). A positive correlation between IFN-γ levels in the Mitogen-Nil condition and the absolute counts of CD3+ (p < 0.001), CD4+ (p < 0.001), and CD8+ (p < 0.001) T-lymphocytes was found. At the multivariable analysis, CD3+ T-cell absolute counts and CD4/CD8 ratio were confirmed as independent predictors of indeterminate results at the QFT-Plus. Our study confirmed the increased rate of indeterminate QFT-Plus in COVID-19 patients, mainly depending on the peripheral blood T-lymphocyte depletion found in the most severe cases.
Keywords: CD3; IFN; IGRA; QuantiFERON-TB Gold; SARS-CoV-2; lymphopenia.
. 2022 Feb 7;12(2):244.
doi: 10.3390/life12020244.
In Patients with Severe COVID-19, the Profound Decrease in the Peripheral Blood T-Cell Subsets Is Correlated with an Increase of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus Indeterminate Rates and Reflecting a Reduced Interferon-Gamma Production
Alessandra Imeneo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Grazia Alessio[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andrea Di Lorenzo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Laura Campogiani[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alessandra Lodi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Filippo Barreca[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marta Zordan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Virginia Barchi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Barbara Massa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Simona Tedde[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Angela Crea[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Pietro Vitale[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ilaria Spalliera[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mirko Compagno[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Luigi Coppola[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Luca Dori[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Vincenzo Malagnino[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Elisabetta Teti[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Massimo Andreoni[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Loredana Sarmati[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Marco Iannetta[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35207531
- DOI: 10.3390/life12020244
Abstract
Increased rates of indeterminate QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus Assay (QFT-Plus) were demonstrated in patients hospitalized with Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19. We aimed to define the prevalence and characteristics of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with indeterminate QFT-Plus. A retrospective study was performed including hospitalized COVID-19 patients, stratified in survivors and non-survivors, non-severe and severe according to the maximal oxygen supply required. Statistical analysis was performed using JASP ver0.14.1 and GraphPad Prism ver8.2.1. A total of 420 patients were included, median age: 65 years, males: 66.4%. The QFT-Plus was indeterminate in 22.1% of patients. Increased rate of indeterminate QFT-Plus was found in non-survivors (p = 0.013) and in severe COVID-19 patients (p < 0.001). Considering the Mitogen-Nil condition of the QFT-Plus, an impaired production of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) was found in non-survivors (p < 0.001) and in severe COVID-19 patients (p < 0.001). A positive correlation between IFN-γ levels in the Mitogen-Nil condition and the absolute counts of CD3+ (p < 0.001), CD4+ (p < 0.001), and CD8+ (p < 0.001) T-lymphocytes was found. At the multivariable analysis, CD3+ T-cell absolute counts and CD4/CD8 ratio were confirmed as independent predictors of indeterminate results at the QFT-Plus. Our study confirmed the increased rate of indeterminate QFT-Plus in COVID-19 patients, mainly depending on the peripheral blood T-lymphocyte depletion found in the most severe cases.
Keywords: CD3; IFN; IGRA; QuantiFERON-TB Gold; SARS-CoV-2; lymphopenia.