Frontiers in Medicine (Apr 2023)
Immunological fingerprint in coronavirus disease-19 convalescents with and without post-COVID syndrome
- Max Augustin,
- Max Augustin,
- Max Augustin,
- Ferdinand Heyn,
- Ferdinand Heyn,
- Ferdinand Heyn,
- Stella Ullrich,
- Stella Ullrich,
- Stella Ullrich,
- Ute Sandaradura de Silva,
- Ute Sandaradura de Silva,
- Ute Sandaradura de Silva,
- Marie-Christine Albert,
- Marie-Christine Albert,
- Viktoria Linne,
- Maike Schlotz,
- Maike Schlotz,
- Philipp Schommers,
- Philipp Schommers,
- Philipp Schommers,
- Philipp Schommers,
- Elisabeth Pracht,
- Carola Horn,
- Carola Horn,
- Carola Horn,
- Isabelle Suarez,
- Isabelle Suarez,
- Alexander Simonis,
- Alexander Simonis,
- Alexander Simonis,
- Lea Katharina Picard,
- Lea Katharina Picard,
- Alexander Zoufaly,
- Alexander Zoufaly,
- Christoph Wenisch,
- Gerd Fätkenheuer,
- Gerd Fätkenheuer,
- Henning Gruell,
- Henning Gruell,
- Florian Klein,
- Florian Klein,
- Florian Klein,
- Michael Hallek,
- Henning Walczak,
- Henning Walczak,
- Henning Walczak,
- Jan Rybniker,
- Jan Rybniker,
- Jan Rybniker,
- Sebastian J. Theobald,
- Sebastian J. Theobald,
- Sebastian J. Theobald,
- Clara Lehmann,
- Clara Lehmann,
- Clara Lehmann
Affiliations
- Max Augustin
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Max Augustin
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Max Augustin
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Ferdinand Heyn
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Ferdinand Heyn
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Ferdinand Heyn
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Stella Ullrich
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Stella Ullrich
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Stella Ullrich
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Ute Sandaradura de Silva
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Ute Sandaradura de Silva
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Ute Sandaradura de Silva
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Marie-Christine Albert
- Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Marie-Christine Albert
- Institute for Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Viktoria Linne
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Maike Schlotz
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Maike Schlotz
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Philipp Schommers
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Philipp Schommers
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Philipp Schommers
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Philipp Schommers
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Elisabeth Pracht
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Carola Horn
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Carola Horn
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Carola Horn
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Isabelle Suarez
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Isabelle Suarez
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Alexander Simonis
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Alexander Simonis
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Alexander Simonis
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Lea Katharina Picard
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Lea Katharina Picard
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Alexander Zoufaly
- Department IV of Internal Medicine, Klinik Favoriten, Vienna Healthcare Group, Vienna, Austria
- Alexander Zoufaly
- Faculty of Medicine, Sigmund Freud University, Vienna, Austria
- Christoph Wenisch
- Department IV of Internal Medicine, Klinik Favoriten, Vienna Healthcare Group, Vienna, Austria
- Gerd Fätkenheuer
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Gerd Fätkenheuer
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Henning Gruell
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Henning Gruell
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Florian Klein
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Florian Klein
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Florian Klein
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Michael Hallek
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Henning Walczak
- Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Henning Walczak
- Institute for Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Henning Walczak
- Faculty of Medicine, Sigmund Freud University, Vienna, Austria
- Jan Rybniker
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Jan Rybniker
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Jan Rybniker
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Sebastian J. Theobald
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Sebastian J. Theobald
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Sebastian J. Theobald
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Clara Lehmann
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Clara Lehmann
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Clara Lehmann
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2023.1129288
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 10
Abstract
BackgroundSymptoms 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.MethodsHere, 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.ResultsPatients 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+.ConclusionThis 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.
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