Recurrence of COVID-19 associated with reduced T-cell responses in a monozygotic twin pair

Bibliographic Details
Title: Recurrence of COVID-19 associated with reduced T-cell responses in a monozygotic twin pair
Authors: Mateus V. de Castro, Keity S. Santos, Juliana S. Apostolico, Edgar R. Fernandes, Rafael R. Almeida, Gabriel Levin, Jhosiene Y. Magawa, João Paulo S. Nunes, Mirian Bruni, Marcio M. Yamamoto, Ariane C. Lima, Monize V. R. Silva, Larissa R. B. Matos, Vivian R. Coria, Erick C. Castelli, Marilia O. Scliar, Andreia Kuramoto, Fernanda R. Bruno, Lucas C. Jacintho, Kelly Nunes, Jaqueline Y. T. Wang, Veronica P. Coelho, Miguel Mitne Neto, Rui M. B. Maciel, Michel S. Naslavsky, Maria Rita Passos-Bueno, Silvia B. Boscardin, Daniela S. Rosa, Jorge Kalil, Mayana Zatz, Edecio Cunha-Neto
Source: Open Biology, Vol 12, Iss 2 (2022)
Publisher Information: The Royal Society, 2022.
Publication Year: 2022
Collection: LCC:Biology (General)
Subject Terms: COVID-19, twins, severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2, T cell, recurrence, immunity, Biology (General), QH301-705.5
More Details: Recurrence of COVID-19 in recovered patients has been increasingly reported. However, the immune mechanisms behind the recurrence have not been thoroughly investigated. The presence of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) in recurrence/reinfection cases suggests that other types of immune response are involved in protection against recurrence. Here, we investigated the innate type I/III interferon (IFN) response, binding and nAb assays and T-cell responses to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with IFN gamma (IFNγ) enzyme-linked spot assay (ELISPOT) in three pairs of young adult monozygotic (MZ) twins with previous confirmed COVID-19, one of them presenting a severe recurrence four months after the initial infection. Twin studies have been of paramount importance to comprehend the immunogenetics of infectious diseases. Each MZ twin pair was previously exposed to SARS-CoV-2, as seen by clinical reports. The six individuals presented similar overall recovered immune responses except for the recurrence case, who presented a drastically reduced number of recognized SARS-CoV-2 T-cell epitopes on ELISPOT as compared to her twin sister and the other twin pairs. Our results suggest that the lack of a broad T-cell response to initial infection may have led to recurrence, emphasizing that an effective SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell immune response is key for complete viral control and avoidance of clinical recurrence of COVID-19.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2046-2441
Relation: https://doaj.org/toc/2046-2441
DOI: 10.1098/rsob.210240
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/1f7c8f20cf8840c599f908453a95ce17
Accession Number: edsdoj.1f7c8f20cf8840c599f908453a95ce17
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:20462441
DOI:10.1098/rsob.210240
Published in:Open Biology
Language:English