Robust T Cell Immunity in Convalescent Individuals with Asymptomatic or Mild COVID-19
Takuya Sekine, André Perez‐Potti, Olga Rivera‐Ballesteros, Kristoffer Strålin, Jean‐Baptiste Gorin, Annika Olsson, Sian Llewellyn‐Lacey, Habiba Kamal, Gordana Bogdanović, Sandra Muschiol, David Wullimann, Tobias Kammann, Johanna Emgård, Tiphaine Parrot, Elin Folkesson, Mira Akber, Lena Berglin, Helena Bergsten, Susanna Brighenti, Demi Brownlie, Marta Butrym, Benedict J. Chambers, Puran Chen, Martin Cornillet Jeannin, Jonathan Grip, Angelica Cuapio Gomez, Lena Dillner, Isabel Diaz Lozano, Majda Dzidic, Malin Flodström‐Tullberg, Anna Färnert, Hedvig Glans, Alvaro Haroun-Izquierdo, Elizabeth Henriksson, Laura Hertwig, Sadaf Kalsum, Efthymia Kokkinou, Egle Kvedaraite, Marco Giulio Loreti, Magalini Lourda, Kimia T. Maleki, Karl‐Johan Malmberg, Nicole Marquardt, Christopher Maucourant, Jakob Michaëlsson, Jenny Mjösberg, Kirsten Moll, Jagadees Muva, Johan Mårtensson, Pontus Nauclér, Anna Norrby‐Teglund, Laura M. Palma Medina, Björn Persson, Lena Radler, Emma Ringqvist, John Tyler Sandberg, Ebba Sohlberg, Tea Soini, Mattias Svensson, Janne Tynell, Renata Varnaitė, Andreas von Kries, Christian Unge, Olav Rooyackers, Lars I. Eriksson, Jan‐Inge Henter, Anders Sönnerborg, Tobias Allander, Jan Albert, Morten Nielsen, Jonas Klingström, Sara Gredmark‐Russ, Niklas K. Björkström, Johan K. Sandberg, David A. Price, Hans‐Gustaf Ljunggren, Soo Aleman, Marcus Buggert
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T cells will likely prove critical for long-term immune protection against COVID-19. Here, we systematically mapped the functional and phenotypic landscape of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses in unexposed individuals, exposed family members, and individuals with acute or convalescent COVID-19. Acute-phase SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells displayed a highly activated cytotoxic phenotype that correlated with various clinical markers of disease severity, whereas convalescent-phase SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells were polyfunctional and displayed a stem-like memory phenotype. Importantly, SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells were detectable in antibody-seronegative exposed family members and convalescent individuals with a history of asymptomatic and mild COVID-19. Our collective dataset shows that SARS-CoV-2 elicits broadly directed and functionally replete memory T cell responses, suggesting that natural exposure or infection may prevent recurrent episodes of severe COVID-19.