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RESEARCH PRODUCT

A whole blood test to measure SARS-CoV-2-specific response in COVID-19 patients

Fabrizio CantiniAlba GrifoniAlessandra VergoriFabrizio PalmieriElisa PetruccioliGilda CuzziGina GualanoAndrea AntinoriLinda PetroneDelia GolettiPietro VittozziGiuseppe IppolitoTonino AlonziLuciana LeporeSaeid Najafi FardEmanuele NicastriEnrico GirardiNadia CaccamoConcetta CastillettiValentina Vanini

subject

Male0301 basic medicinemedicine.medical_treatmentBasic fibroblast growth factorchemistry.chemical_compound0302 clinical medicineT-cell based testsMedicine030212 general & internal medicineIFN-γAntigens ViralMacrophage inflammatory proteinbiologyInterleukinGeneral MedicineMiddle AgedWhole bloodVascular endothelial growth factorInfectious Diseasesmedicine.anatomical_structureSpike Glycoprotein CoronavirusCytokinesOriginal ArticleFemalePlatelet-derived growth factor receptorAdultMicrobiology (medical)Specific response030106 microbiologyCOVID-19 Serological TestingInterferon-gamma03 medical and health sciencesTh2 CellsAntigenHumansImmune responseAgedSARS-CoV-2business.industryGrowth factorMonocyteCOVID-19Multiplex analysisTh1 CellsSerology responsechemistryImmunoglobulin GImmunologybiology.proteinbusiness

description

Objectives To examine whether specific T-cell-responses to SARS-CoV-2 peptides can be detected in COVID-19 using a whole-blood experimental setting, which may be further explored as potential diagnostic tool. Methods We evaluated IFN-γ levels after stimulating whole-blood with spike and remainder-antigens peptides megapools (MP) derived from SARS-CoV-2 sequences; IL-1β, IL-1RA, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-15, IL-17A, eotaxin, basic FGF, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, PDGF, RANTES, TNF-α, VEGF were also evaluated. Results IFN-γ-response to spike and remainder-antigens MPs was significantly increased in 35 COVID-19-patients compared to 29 “NO COVID-19”-individuals (medians spike-MP: 0.26 vs 0, p=0.0002; medians remainder-antigens-MP: 0.07 vs 0.02; p=0.02). This response was detected independently of patients’ clinical parameters. IFN-γ-response to SARS-CoV-2-unrelated antigens CMV and SEB was similar in COVID-19 compared to NO-COVID-19-invididuals (median CMV: 3.46 versus 5.28, p=0.16; median SEB: 12.68 versus 15.05; p=0.1). In response to spike-MPs in COVID-19- compared to “NO COVID-19”-individuals, we found significant higher median of IL-2 (50.08 vs 0, p=0.0018), IFN-γ (90.16 vs 0, p=0.01), IL-4 (0.52 vs 0, p=0.03), IL-13 (0.84 vs 0, p=0.007) and MCP-1 (4602 vs 359.2, p=0.05). Conclusions Immune response to SARS-CoV-2 peptides in a whole-blood assay is associated to COVID-19 and it is characterized by both Th1 and Th2 profile. This experimental approach may be useful for developing new T-cell based diagnostic tests for disease and vaccine settings.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2021-02-01Clinical Microbiology and Infection
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2020.09.051