Longitudinal analysis reveals that delayed bystander CD8+ T cell activation and early immune pathology distinguish severe COVID-19 from mild disease

Laura Bergamaschi, Federica Mescia, Lorinda Turner, Aimee L. Hanson, Prasanti Kotagiri, Benjamin J. Dunmore, Hélène Ruffieux, Aloka De Sa, Oisín Huhn, Michael D. Morgan, Pehuén Pereyra Gerber, Mark R. Wills, Stephen Baker, Fernando J. Calero-Nieto, Rainer Doffinger, Gordon Dougan, Anne Elmer, Ian G. Goodfellow, Ravindra K. Gupta, Myra HosmilloKelvin Hunter, Nathalie Kingston, Paul J. Lehner, Nicholas J. Matheson, Jeremy K. Nicholson, Anna M. Petrunkina, Sylvia Richardson, Caroline Saunders, James E.D. Thaventhiran, Erik J.M. Toonen, Michael P. Weekes, Berthold Göttgens, Mark Toshner, Christoph Hess, John R. Bradley, Paul A. Lyons* (Corresponding Author), Kenneth G.C. Smith* (Corresponding Author)

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

he kinetics of the immune changes in COVID-19 across severity groups have not been rigorously assessed. Using immunophenotyping, RNA sequencing, and serum cytokine analysis, we analyzed serial samples from 207 SARS-CoV2-infected individuals with a range of disease severities over 12 weeks from symptom onset. An early robust bystander CD8+ T cell immune response, without systemic inflammation, characterized asymptomatic or mild disease. Hospitalized individuals had delayed bystander responses and systemic inflammation that was already evident near symptom onset, indicating that immunopathology may be inevitable in some individuals. Viral load did not correlate with this early pathological response but did correlate with subsequent disease severity. Immune recovery is complex, with profound persistent cellular abnormalities in severe disease correlating with altered inflammatory responses, with signatures associated with increased oxidative phosphorylation replacing those driven by cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL)-6. These late immunometabolic and immune defects may have clinical implications.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1257-1275.e8
JournalImmunity
Volume54
Issue number6
Early online date16 May 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Jun 2021

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