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Highly functional virus-specific cellular immune response in asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection

2021; Rockefeller University Press; Volume: 218; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1084/jem.20202617

1540-9538

Nina Le Bert, Hannah Clapham, Anthony T. Tan, Wan Ni Chia, C Tham, Jane Mingjie Lim, Kamini Kunasegaran, Linda Wei Lin Tan, Charles‐Antoine Dutertre, Nivedita Shankar, Joey Ming Er Lim, Louisa Sun, Marina Zahari, Zaw Myo Tun, Vishakha Kumar, Beng Lee Lim, Siew Hoon Lim, Adeline Chia, Yee‐Joo Tan, Paul Anantharajah Tambyah, Shirin Kalimuddin, David Chien Lye, Jenny G. Low, Lin‐Fa Wang, Wei Yee Wan, Li Yang Hsu, Antonio Bertoletti, Clarence C. Tam,

Long-Term Effects of COVID-19

The efficacy of virus-specific T cells in clearing pathogens involves a fine balance between antiviral and inflammatory features. SARS-CoV-2–specific T cells in individuals who clear SARS-CoV-2 without symptoms could reveal nonpathological yet protective characteristics. We longitudinally studied SARS-CoV-2–specific T cells in a cohort of asymptomatic (n = 85) and symptomatic (n = 75) COVID-19 patients after seroconversion. We quantified T cells reactive to structural proteins (M, NP, and Spike) using ELISpot and cytokine secretion in whole blood. Frequencies of SARS-CoV-2–specific T cells were similar between asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals, but the former showed an increased IFN-γ and IL-2 production. This was associated with a proportional secretion of IL-10 and proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β) only in asymptomatic infection, while a disproportionate secretion of inflammatory cytokines was triggered by SARS-CoV-2–specific T cell activation in symptomatic individuals. Thus, asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2–infected individuals are not characterized by weak antiviral immunity; on the contrary, they mount a highly functional virus-specific cellular immune response.