RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Robust SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell immunity is maintained at 6 months following primary infection
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.11.01.362319
DO 10.1101/2020.11.01.362319
A1 J Zuo
A1 A Dowell
A1 H Pearce
A1 K Verma
A1 HM Long
A1 J Begum
A1 F Aiano
A1 Z Amin-Chowdhury
A1 B Hallis
A1 L Stapley
A1 R Borrow
A1 E Linley
A1 S Ahmad
A1 B Parker
A1 A Horsley
A1 G Amirthalingam
A1 K Brown
A1 ME Ramsay
A1 S Ladhani
A1 P Moss
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/11/02/2020.11.01.362319.abstract
AB 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.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.