Prolonged enhancement of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the post-recovery state of severe COVID-19
Yumi Mitsuyama, Kazuma Yamakawa, Katsuhide Kayano, Miho Maruyama, Takeshi Wada, Satoshi Fujimi
Abstract
We evaluated the peripheral blood immune responses of lymphocytes in severe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in different stages of recovery using single-cell mass cytometry. The patients with prolonged hospitalization did not show recovery of B lymphocyte counts and CD4-positive T lymphocyte counts but did show abundant CD8-positive T lymphocytes. CD4 and CD8 T cells expressing high levels of T-bet and Granzyme B were more abundant in post-recovery patients. This study showed that cytotoxic Th1 and CD8 T cells are recruited to the peripheral blood long after recovery from COVID-19.
Topics & Concepts
Cytotoxic T cellCD8Granzyme BCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)MedicineImmunologyLymphocyteImmune systemGranzymeT lymphocyteFlow cytometryMass cytometryBiologyInternal medicineDiseasePerforinPhenotypeIn vitroInfectious disease (medical specialty)BiochemistryGeneCOVID-19 Clinical Research StudiesSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchLong-Term Effects of COVID-19