Phenotype and kinetics of SARS-CoV-2–specific T cells in COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome
Daniela Weiskopf, Katharina S. Schmitz, Matthijs P. Raadsen, Alba Grifoni, Nisreen M.A. Okba, Henrik Endeman, Johannes P. C. van den Akker, Richard Molenkamp, Marion Koopmans, Eric C. M. Van Gorp, Bart L. Haagmans, Rik L. de Swart, Alessandro Sette, Rory D. de Vries
Abstract
T cells in 10 out of 10 and 8 out of 10 patients, respectively. We also detected low levels of SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells in 2 out of 10 healthy controls not previously exposed to SARS-CoV-2, which is indicative of cross-reactivity due to past infection with 'common cold' coronaviruses. The strongest T-cell responses were directed to the spike (S) surface glycoprotein, and SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells predominantly produced effector and Th1 cytokines, although Th2 and Th17 cytokines were also detected. Furthermore, we studied T-cell kinetics and showed that SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells are present relatively early and increase over time. Collectively, these data shed light on the potential variations in T-cell responses as a function of disease severity, an issue that is key to understanding the potential role of immunopathology in the disease, and also inform vaccine design and evaluation.