Search

Background: The clinical outcomes and immunological features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients receiving B-cell depletion therapy (BCDT), especially in Omicron variant era, have not been fully elucidated. We aimed to investigate the outcomes and immune responses of COVID-19 patients receiving BCDT during the Omicron period. Methods: We retrospectively compared clinical outcomes between COVID-19 patients treated with BCDT (the BCDT group) and those with the same underlying diseases not treated with BCDT (the non-BCDT group). For immunological analyses, we prospectively enrolled COVID-19 patients receiving BCDT and immunocompetent COVID-19 patients as controls. We measured humoral and cellular immune responses using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry. Results: Severe to critical COVID-19 was more frequent in the BCDT group than in the non-BCDT group (41.9% vs. 28.3%, p =.030). BCDT was an independent risk factor for severe to critical COVID-19 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21–4.04, p =.010) as well as for COVID-19-related mortality (aOR 4.03, 95% CI 1.17–13.86, p =.027). Immunological analyses revealed that patients receiving BCDT had lower anti-S1 IgG titres and a tendency to higher proportions of activated CD4+ T-cells than the controls. Conclusions: BCDT was associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes in the Omicron period. Humoral immune response impairment and T-cell hyperactivation were the main immunological features of COVID-19 patients treated with BCDT, which may have contributed to the worse outcomes of COVID-19 in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the fact of ongoing worldwide vaccination programs for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), understanding longevity, breadth, and type of immune response to coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is still important to optimize the vaccination strategy and estimate the risk of reinfection. Therefore, we performed thorough immunological assessments 1 year post-COVID-19 with different severity. Methods: We analyzed peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma samples at 1 year post-COVID-19 in patients who experienced asymptomatic, mild, and severe illness to assess titers of various isotypes of antibodies (Abs) against SARS-CoV-2 antigens, phagocytic capability, and memory B- and T-cell responses. Findings: A total of 24 patients (7, 9, and 8 asymptomatic, mild, and severe patients, respectively) and eight healthy volunteers were included in this study. We firstly showed that disease severity is correlated with parameters of immune responses at 1 year post-COVID-19 that play an important role in protecting against reinfection with SARS-CoV-2, namely, the phagocytic capacity of Abs and memory B-cell responses. Interpretation: Various immune responses at 1 year post-COVID-19, particularly the phagocytic capacity and memory B-cell responses, were dependent on the severity of the prior COVID-19. Our data could provide a clue for a tailored vaccination strategy after natural infection according to the severity of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(B, D, F) Frequencies of IgM+, IgA+, and IgG+ antigen-specific memory B cells according to the severity of illness and different antigens. SARS-CoV-2, antibody, phagocytosis, memory B cells, memory T cells Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; antibody; phagocytosis; memory B cells; memory T cells EN SARS-CoV-2 antibody phagocytosis memory B cells memory T cells 1 2 2 05/26/22 20220524 NES 220524 In the original article, there was a mistake in Figure 3 as published. [Extracted from the article]