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Robust SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell immunity is maintained at 6 months following primary infection

Robust SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell immunity is maintained at 6 months following primary infection

Authors :
Ezra Linley
Hayden Pearce
Lorrain Stapley
Jianmin Zuo
Kevin E. Brown
Heather M. Long
Shamez N Ladhani
Mary Ramsay
Felicity Aiano
Paul Moss
Alexander C Dowell
Gayatri Amirthalingam
Ray Borrow
Ben Parker
Kriti Verma
Bassam Hallis
Zahin Amin-Chowdhury
Jusnara Begum
Shazaad Ahmad
Alex Horsley
Publication Year :
2020
Publisher :
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 2020.

Abstract

The immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is critical in both controlling primary infection and preventing re-infection. However, there is concern that immune responses following natural infection may not be sustained and that this may predispose to recurrent infection. We analysed the magnitude and phenotype of the SARS-CoV-2 cellular immune response in 100 donors at six months following primary infection and related this to the profile of antibody level against spike, nucleoprotein and RBD over the previous six months. T-cell immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 were present by ELISPOT and/or ICS analysis in all donors and are characterised by predominant CD4+ T cell responses with strong IL-2 cytokine expression. Median T-cell responses were 50% higher in donors who had experienced an initial symptomatic infection indicating that the severity of primary infection establishes a ‘setpoint’ for cellular immunity that lasts for at least 6 months. The T-cell responses to both spike and nucleoprotein/membrane proteins were strongly correlated with the peak antibody level against each protein. The rate of decline in antibody level varied between individuals and higher levels of nucleoprotein-specific T cells were associated with preservation of NP-specific antibody level although no such correlation was observed in relation to spike-specific responses. In conclusion, our data are reassuring that functional SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses are retained at six months following infection although the magnitude of this response is related to the clinical features of primary infection.

Details

Database :
OpenAIRE
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........c6a352adf5d53f283ad2ecc351677a10
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.01.362319