Immunological Fingerprint in Coronavirus Disease-19 Convalescents with and Without Post-COVID Syndrome

Background: Symptoms lasting longer than 12  weeks after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are called post-coronavirus disease (COVID) syndrome (PCS). The identification of new biomarkers that predict the occurrence or course of PCS in terms of a post-viral syndrome is vital. T-cell dysfunction, cytokine imbalance, and impaired autoimmunity have been reported in PCS. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of conclusive information on the underlying mechanisms due to, among other things, a lack of controlled study designs.

Methods: Here, we conducted a prospective, controlled study to characterize the humoral and cellular immune response in unvaccinated patients with and without PCS following SARS-CoV-2 infection over 7 months and unexposed donors.

Results: Patients with PCS showed as early as 6 weeks and 7 months after symptom onset significantly increased frequencies of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4 and CD8 T-cells secreting IFNγ, TNF, and expressing CD40L, as well as plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) with an activated phenotype. Remarkably, the immunosuppressive counterparts type 1 regulatory T-cells (TR1: CD49b/LAG-3) and IL-4 were more abundant in PCS.

Conclusion: This work describes immunological alterations between inflammation and immunosuppression in COVID-19 convalescents with and without PCS, which may provide potential directions for future epidemiological investigations and targeted treatments.