Dataset Information

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2-specific B and T cell responses in convalescent COVID-19 patients 6-8 months after the infection.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Monitoring the adaptive immune responses during the natural course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection provides useful information for the development of vaccination strategies against this virus and its emerging variants. We thus profiled the serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody (Ab) levels and specific memory B and T cell responses in convalescent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

Methods

A total of 119 samples from 88 convalescent donors who experienced mild to critical disease were tested for the presence of elevated anti-spike and anti-receptor binding domain Ab levels over a period of 8 months. In addition, the levels of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing Abs and specific memory B and T cell responses were tested in a subset of samples.

Findings

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Abs were present in 85% of the samples collected within 4 weeks after the onset of symptoms in COVID-19 patients. Levels of specific immunoglobulin M (IgM)/IgA Abs declined after 1 month, while levels of specific IgG Abs and plasma neutralizing activities remained relatively stable up to 6 months after diagnosis. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG Abs were still present, although at a significantly lower level, in 80% of the samples collected at 6-8 months after symptom onset. SARS-CoV-2-specific memory B and T cell responses developed with time and were persistent in all of the patients followed up for 6-8 months.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that protective adaptive immunity following natural infection of SARS-CoV-2 may persist for at least 6-8 months, regardless of disease severity. Development of medium- or long-term protective immunity through vaccination may thus be possible.

Funding

This project was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (ATAC, no. 101003650), the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Finalizzata grant no. GR-2013-02358399), the Center for Innovative Medicine, and the Swedish Research Council. J.A. was supported by the SciLifeLab/KAW national COVID-19 research program project grant 2020.

SUBMITTER: Sherina N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7874960 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2-specific B and T cell responses in convalescent COVID-19 patients 6-8 months after the infection.

Sherina Natalia N Piralla Antonio A Du Likun L Wan Hui H Kumagai-Braesch Makiko M Andréll Juni J Braesch-Andersen Sten S Cassaniti Irene I Percivalle Elena E Sarasini Antonella A Bergami Federica F Di Martino Raffaella R Colaneri Marta M Vecchia Marco M Sambo Margherita M Zuccaro Valentina V Bruno Raffaele R Sachs Michele M Oggionni Tiberio T Meloni Federica F Abolhassani Hassan H Bertoglio Federico F Schubert Maren M Byrne-Steele Miranda M Han Jian J Hust Michael M Xue Yintong Y Hammarström Lennart L Baldanti Fausto F Marcotte Harold H Pan-Hammarström Qiang Q

Med (New York, N.Y.) 20210210 3

<h4>Background</h4>Monitoring the adaptive immune responses during the natural course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection provides useful information for the development of vaccination strategies against this virus and its emerging variants. We thus profiled the serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody (Ab) levels and specific memory B and T cell responses in convalescent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.<h4>Methods</h4>A total of 119 samples from 88 conva ...[more]

PMID: 33589885

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Project description:BackgroundImmune response to SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for preventing reinfection or reducing disease severity. T-cells' long-term protection, elicited either by COVID-19 vaccines or natural infection, has been extensively studied thus far; however, it is still attracting considerable scientific interest. The aim of the present epidemiological study was to define the levels of T-cellular immunity response in a specific group of unvaccinated individuals from the general population with a prior confirmed COVID-19 infection and no measurable levels of IgG antibodies.MethodsWe performed a retrospective descriptive analysis of data collected from the medical records of consecutive unvaccinated individuals recovered from COVID-19, who had proceeded to a large private medical center in the Attica region from September 2021 to September 2022 in order to be examined on their own initiative for SARS-CoV-2 T-cell immunity response. The analysis of T-cell responses was divided into three time periods post infection: Group A: up to 6 months; Group B: 6-12 months; Group C: >12 months. The SARS-CoV-2 T-cell response was estimated against spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) structural proteins by performing the T-SPOT. COVID test methodology. SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody levels were measured by the SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant assay (Abbott Diagnostics).ResultsA total of 182 subjects were retrospectively included in the study, 85 females (46.7%) and 97 (53.3%) males, ranging from 19 to 91 years old (mean 50.84 ± 17.2 years). Among them, 59 (32.4%) had been infected within the previous 6 months from the examination date (Group A), 69 (37.9%) had been infected within a time period > 6 months and <1 year (Group B) and 54 (29.7%) had been infected within a time period longer than 1 year from the examination date (Group C). Among the three groups, a positive T-cell reaction against the S antigen was reported in 47/58 (81%) of Group A, 61/69 (88.4%) of Group B and 40/54 (74.1%) of Group C (chi square, p = 0.27). T-cell reaction against the N antigen was present in 45/58 (77.6%) of Group A, 61/69 (88.4%) of Group B and 36/54 (66.7%) of Group C (chi square, p = 0.02). The median Spot-Forming Cells (SFC) count for the S antigen was 18 (range from 0-160) in Group A, 19 (range from 0-130) in Group B and 17 (range from 0-160) in Group C (Kruskal-Wallis test, p = 0.11; pairwise comparisons: groups A-B, p = 0.95; groups A-C, p = 0.89; groups B-C, p = 0.11). The median SFCs count for the N antigen was 14.5 (ranging from 0 to 116) for Group A, 24 (ranging from 0-168) in Group B and 16 (ranging from 0-112) for Group C (Kruskal-Wallis test, p = 0.01; pairwise comparisons: groups A-B, p = 0.02; groups A-C, p = 0.97; groups B-C, p = 0.03).ConclusionsOur data suggest that protective adaptive T-cellular immunity following natural infection by SARS-CoV-2 may persist for over 12 months, despite the undetectable humoral element.

Dataset Information

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2-specific B and T cell responses in convalescent COVID-19 patients 6-8 months after the infection.

Background

Methods

Findings

Conclusions

Funding

Publications

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2-specific B and T cell responses in convalescent COVID-19 patients 6-8 months after the infection.

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