Major reduction of NKT cells in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

NK cells seem to be mainly involved in COVID-19 pneumonia. Little is known about NKT cells which represent a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. We characterized peripheral blood T, NK and NKT cells in 45 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia (COVID-19 subjects) and 19 healthy donors (HDs). According to the severity of the disease, we stratified COVID-19 subjects into severe and non-severe groups. Compared to HDs, COVID-19 subjects showed higher percentages of NK CD57+ and CD56dim NK cells and lower percentages of NKT and CD56bright cells. In the severe group we found a significantly lower percentage of NKT cells. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, NKT cell was independently associated with the severity of the disease. The low percentage of NKT cells in peripheral blood of COVID-19 subjects and the independent association with the severity of the disease suggests a potential role of this subset. Unlabelled Image • High percentages of NK CD57+ cells and CD56dimNK cells in COVID-19 subjects • Low percentages of CD56bright and NKT cells in COVID-19 subjects • Severe COVID-19 pneumonia and NKT cell reduction were independently associated [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]