Nucleocapsid-specific T cell responses associate with control of SARS-CoV-2 in the upper airways before seroconversion.

ABSTRACT: Despite intensive research since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, it has remained unclear precisely which components of the early immune response protect against the development of severe COVID-19. Here, we perform a comprehensive immunogenetic and virologic analysis of nasopharyngeal and peripheral blood samples obtained during the acute phase of infection with SARS-CoV-2. We find that soluble and transcriptional markers of systemic inflammation peak during the first week after symptom onset and correlate directly with upper airways viral loads (UA-VLs), whereas the contemporaneous frequencies of circulating viral nucleocapsid (NC)-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells correlate inversely with various inflammatory markers and UA-VLs. In addition, we show that high frequencies o

SUBMITTER: Eser TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10209201 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature