Abstract

Background

Characterizing the longevity and quality of cellular immune responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enhances understanding of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) immunity that influences clinical outcomes. Prior studies suggest SARS-CoV-2–specific T cells are present in peripheral blood 10 months after infection. Analysis of the function, durability, and diversity of cellular response long after natural infection, over a range of ages and disease phenotypes, is needed to identify preventative and therapeutic interventions.

Methods

We identified participants in our multisite longitudinal, prospective cohort study 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection representing a range of disease severity. We investigated function, phenotypes, and frequency of T cells specific for SARS-CoV-2 using intracellular cytokine staining and spectral flow cytometry, and compared magnitude of SARS-CoV-2–specific antibodies.

Results

SARS-CoV-2–specific antibodies and T cells were detected 12 months postinfection. Severe acute illness was associated with higher frequencies of SARS-CoV-2–specific CD4 T cells and antibodies at 12 months. In contrast, polyfunctional and cytotoxic T cells responsive to SARS-CoV-2 were identified in participants over a wide spectrum of disease severity.

Conclusions

SARS-CoV-2 infection induces polyfunctional memory T cells detectable at 12 months postinfection, with higher frequency noted in those who experienced severe disease.

中文翻译：

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感染后 12 个月时 SARS-CoV-2 特异性 T 细胞反应的持久性

摘要

背景

表征针对严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 的细胞免疫反应的寿命和质量，可以增强对影响临床结果的 2019 冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 免疫的了解。先前的研究表明，感染 10 个月后外周血中存在 SARS-CoV-2 特异性 T 细胞。需要对自然感染后很长时间内、不同年龄和疾病表型的细胞反应的功能、持久性和多样性进行分析，以确定预防和治疗干预措施。

方法

我们在 SARS-CoV-2 感染 12 个月后确定了多地点纵向前瞻性队列研究的参与者，代表了一系列疾病严重程度。我们使用细胞内细胞因子染色和光谱流式细胞术研究了 SARS-CoV-2 特异性 T 细胞的功能、表型和频率，并比较了 SARS-CoV-2 特异性抗体的大小。

结果

感染后 12 个月检测到 SARS-CoV-2 特异性抗体和 T 细胞。严重急性疾病与 12 个月时 SARS-CoV-2 特异性 CD4 T 细胞和抗体的出现频率较高相关。相比之下，在各种疾病严重程度的参与者中都发现了对 SARS-CoV-2 有反应的多功能和细胞毒性 T 细胞。

结论

SARS-CoV-2 感染可诱导多功能记忆 T 细胞在感染后 12 个月内检测到，在患有严重疾病的患者中出现频率更高。