Recovery from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and development of anamnestic immune responses in T cell-depleted rhesus macaques.

ABSTRACT: Severe COVID-19 has been associated with T cell lymphopenia 1,2, but no causal effect of T cell deficiency on disease severity has been established. To investigate the specific role of T cells in recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infections we studied rhesus macaques that were depleted of either CD4+, CD8+ or both T cell subsets prior to infection. Peak virus loads were similar in all groups, but the resolution of virus in the T cell-depleted animals was slightly delayed compared to controls. The T cell-depleted groups developed virus-neutralizing antibody responses and also class-switched to IgG. When re-infected six weeks later, the T cell-depleted animals showed anamnestic immune responses characterized by rapid induction of high-titer virus-neutralizing antibodies, faster control of virus loads

SUBMITTER: Hasenkrug KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8020972 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature