Sex differences in immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 that underlie disease outcomes.

ABSTRACT: A growing body of evidence indicates sex differences in the clinical outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)^1-4. However, whether immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 differ between sexes, and whether such differences explain male susceptibility to COVID-19, is currently unknown. In this study, we examined sex differences in viral loads, SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody titers, plasma cytokines, as well as blood cell phenotyping in COVID-19 patients. By focusing our analysis on patients with mild to moderate disease who had not received immunomodulatory medications, our results revealed that male patients had higher plasma levels of innate immune cytokines and chemokines including IL-8, IL-18, and CCL5, along with more robust induction of non-classical monocytes. In contrast,

SUBMITTER: Takahashi T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7302304 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature