Innate Immune Gene Polymorphisms and COVID-19 Prognosis
Evangelos Bakaros,
Ioanna Voulgaridi,
Vassiliki Paliatsa,
Nikolaos Gatselis,
Georgios Germanidis,
Evangelia Asvestopoulou,
Stamatia Alexiou,
Elli Botsfari,
Vasiliki Lygoura,
Olga Tsachouridou,
Iordanis Mimtsoudis,
Maria Tseroni,
Styliani Sarrou,
Varvara A. Mouchtouri,
Katerina Dadouli,
Fani Kalala,
Simeon Metallidis,
George Dalekos,
Christos Hadjichristodoulou,
Matthaios Speletas
Affiliations
Evangelos Bakaros
Department of Immunology & Histocompatibility, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Ioanna Voulgaridi
Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41222 Larissa, Greece
Vassiliki Paliatsa
Department of Immunology & Histocompatibility, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Nikolaos Gatselis
Department of Medicine and Research Laboratory of Internal Medicine, National Expertise Center of Greece in Autoimmune Liver Diseases, Full Member of the European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER), General University Hospital of Larissa, 41110 Larissa, Greece
Georgios Germanidis
First Internal Medicine Department, Infectious Diseases Division, AHEPA Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Evangelia Asvestopoulou
Department of Immunology & Histocompatibility, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Stamatia Alexiou
Department of Immunology & Histocompatibility, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Elli Botsfari
Department of Immunology & Histocompatibility, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Vasiliki Lygoura
Department of Medicine and Research Laboratory of Internal Medicine, National Expertise Center of Greece in Autoimmune Liver Diseases, Full Member of the European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER), General University Hospital of Larissa, 41110 Larissa, Greece
Olga Tsachouridou
First Internal Medicine Department, Infectious Diseases Division, AHEPA Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Iordanis Mimtsoudis
First Internal Medicine Department, Infectious Diseases Division, AHEPA Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Maria Tseroni
National Public Health Organization, 15123 Athens, Greece
Styliani Sarrou
Department of Immunology & Histocompatibility, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Varvara A. Mouchtouri
Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41222 Larissa, Greece
Katerina Dadouli
Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41222 Larissa, Greece
Fani Kalala
Department of Immunology & Histocompatibility, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Simeon Metallidis
First Internal Medicine Department, Infectious Diseases Division, AHEPA Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
George Dalekos
Department of Medicine and Research Laboratory of Internal Medicine, National Expertise Center of Greece in Autoimmune Liver Diseases, Full Member of the European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER), General University Hospital of Larissa, 41110 Larissa, Greece
Christos Hadjichristodoulou
Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41222 Larissa, Greece
Matthaios Speletas
Department of Immunology & Histocompatibility, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
COVID-19 is characterized by a heterogeneous clinical presentation and prognosis. Risk factors contributing to the development of severe disease include old age and the presence of comorbidities. However, the genetic background of the host has also been recognized as an important determinant of disease prognosis. Considering the pivotal role of innate immunity in the control of SARS-CoV-2 infection, we analyzed the possible contribution of several innate immune gene polymorphisms (including TLR2-rs5743708, TLR4-rs4986790, TLR4-rs4986791, CD14-rs2569190, CARD8-rs1834481, IL18-rs2043211, and CD40-rs1883832) in disease severity and prognosis. A total of 249 individuals were enrolled and further divided into five (5) groups, according to the clinical progression scale provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) (asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe, and critical). We identified that elderly patients with obesity and/or diabetes mellitus were more susceptible to developing pneumonia and respiratory distress syndrome after SARS-CoV-2 infection, while the IL18-rs1834481 polymorphism was an independent risk factor for developing pneumonia. Moreover, individuals carrying either the TLR2-rs5743708 or the TLR4-rs4986791 polymorphisms exhibited a 3.6- and 2.5-fold increased probability for developing pneumonia and a more severe disease, respectively. Our data support the notion that the host’s genetic background can significantly affect COVID-19 clinical phenotype, also suggesting that the IL18-rs1834481, TLR2-rs5743708, and TLR4-rs4986791 polymorphisms may be used as molecular predictors of COVID-19 clinical phenotype.