The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus is causing a global pandemic, and cases continue to rise. Most infected individuals experience mildly symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but it is unknown whether this can induce persistent immune memory that could contribute to immunity. We performed a longitudinal assessment of individuals recovered from mild COVID-19 to determine whether they develop and sustain multifaceted SARS-CoV-2-specific immunological memory. Recovered individuals developed SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoglobulin (IgG) antibodies, neutralizing plasma, and memory B and memory T cells that persisted for at least 3 months. Our data further reveal that SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG memory B cells increased over time. Additionally, SARS-CoV-2-specific memory lymphocytes exhibited characteristics associated with potent antiviral function: memory T cells secreted cytokines and expanded upon antigen re-encounter, whereas memory B cells expressed receptors capable of neutralizing virus when expressed as monoclonal antibodies. Therefore, mild COVID-19 elicits memory lymphocytes that persist and display functional hallmarks of antiviral immunity.

严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 病毒正在全球引发大流行，且病例持续上升。大多数感染者都会出现轻微症状的 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19)，但尚不清楚这是否会诱发持久的免疫记忆，从而有助于免疫力。我们对从轻度 COVID-19 中康复的个体进行了纵向评估，以确定他们是否发展并维持多方面的 SARS-CoV-2 特异性免疫记忆。康复者体内产生了 SARS-CoV-2 特异性免疫球蛋白 (IgG) 抗体，可中和血浆以及记忆 B 和记忆 T 细胞，并且持续至少 3 个月。我们的数据进一步表明，SARS-CoV-2 特异性 IgG 记忆 B 细胞随着时间的推移而增加。此外，SARS-CoV-2特异性记忆淋巴细胞表现出与有效抗病毒功能相关的特征：记忆T细胞分泌细胞因子并在再次遇到抗原时扩增，而记忆B细胞在表达为单克隆抗体时表达能够中和病毒的受体。因此，轻度的 COVID-19 会引发记忆淋巴细胞，这些淋巴细胞会持续存在并表现出抗病毒免疫的功能特征。