Long-term SARS-CoV-2-specific immune and inflammatory responses in individuals recovering from COVID-19 with and without post-acute symptoms

Michael J. Peluso; Amelia N. Deitchman; Leonel Torres; Nikita S. Iyer; Sadie E. Munter; Christopher C. Nixon; Joanna Donatelli; Cassandra Thanh; Saki Takahashi; Jill Hakim; Keirstinne Turcios; Owen Janson; Rebecca Hoh; Viva Tai; Yanel Hernandez; Emily A. Fehrman; Matthew A. Spinelli; Monica Gandhi; Lan Trinh; Terri Wrin; Christos J. Petropoulos; Francesca T. Aweeka; Isabel Rodriguez-Barraquer; J. Daniel Kelly; Jeffrey N. Martin; Steven G. Deeks; Bryan Greenhouse; Rachel L. Rutishauser; Timothy J. Henrich

Long-term SARS-CoV-2-specific immune and inflammatory responses in individuals recovering from COVID-19 with and without post-acute symptoms

2021

Summary: We describe severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific T cell responses, soluble markers of inflammation, and antibody levels and neutralization capacity longitudinally in 70 individuals with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Participants represent a spectrum of illness and recovery, including some with persistent viral shedding in saliva and many experiencing post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). T cell responses remain stable for up to 9 months. Whereas the magnitude of early CD4+ T cell immune responses correlates with severity of initial infection, pre-existing lung disease is independently associated with higher long-term SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cell responses. Among participants with PASC 4 months following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptom onset, we observe a lower frequency of CD8+ T cells expressing CD107a, a marker of degranulation, in response to Nucleocapsid (N) peptide pool stimulation, and a more rapid decline in the frequency of N-specific interferon-γ-producing CD8+ T cells. Neutralizing antibody levels strongly correlate with SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cell responses.

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