Microorganisms (Sep 2021)

Immunity Profiling of COVID-19 Infection, Dynamic Variations of Lymphocyte Subsets, a Comparative Analysis on Four Different Groups

  • Mario Giosuè Balzanelli,
  • Pietro Distratis,
  • Gianna Dipalma,
  • Luigi Vimercati,
  • Orazio Catucci,
  • Felice Amatulli,
  • Angelo Cefalo,
  • Rita Lazzaro,
  • Davide Palazzo,
  • Sergey Khachatur Aityan,
  • Giancarla Pricolo,
  • Antonella Prudenzano,
  • Patrizia D’Errico,
  • Rita Laforgia,
  • Angela Pezzolla,
  • Diego Tomassone,
  • Alessio Danilo Inchingolo,
  • Van Hung Pham,
  • Donatello Iacobone,
  • Giuseppe Mancusi Materi,
  • Antonio Scarano,
  • Felice Lorusso,
  • Francesco Inchingolo,
  • Kieu Cao Diem Nguyen,
  • Ciro Gargiulo Isacco

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9102036
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 10
p. 2036

Abstract

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Background: A novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)-induced pneumonia (COVID-19) emerged in December 2019 in China, spreading worldwide. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the immunological response and the clinical subset of peripheral lymphocyte subset alteration in COVID-19 infection. Methods: the study was conducted on four different clinical groups (n = 4; total n = 138). Each individual was assigned to different groups based on specific criteria evaluated at the admission such as fever, dyspnea, arterial blood gas analysis (ABG), oral-nasopharyngeal swab/RT-PCR, and thoracic CT-scan. Treatment was performed only after blood samples were collected from each patient (PP and PP) at day 1. The blood samples were analyzed and tested the same day (CBC and Flowcytometry). The positive–positive group (PP n = 45; F = 18/ M = 27; median age = 62.33), comprised individuals affected by COVID-19 who showed fever, dyspnea (ABG = pO2 n = 37; F = 11/M = 26; median age = 75.94) or “COVID-like” group comprised individuals with fever and dyspnea (ABG = pO2 n = 40; F = 14/M = 26; median age = 58.5) included individuals negative to COVID-19 (RT-PCR) but affected by different chronic respiratory diseases (the CT-scans didn’t show ground-glass opacities). Finally, the negative–negative group (NN; n = 16; F = 14/M = 2) included healthy patients (NN; n = 16; median age = 42.62). Data and findings were collected and compared. Results: Lymphocytes (%) cells showed a decline in COVID-19 patients. The subsets showed a significant association with the inflammatory status in COVID-19, especially with regard to increased neutrophils, T-killer, T-active, T-suppressor, and T-CD8+CD38+ in individuals belong to the either COVID-19 and Covid-like NP group. Conclusions: Peripheral lymphocyte subset alteration was associated with the clinical characteristics and progression of COVID-19. The level of sub-set cells T-lymphocytes (either high or low) and B-lymphocytes could be used as an independent predictor for COVID-19 severity and treatment efficacy.

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