Evaluation of TIM-3 gene expression in a patients with COVID-19.

Background: Patients with COVID-19 have dysregulation in immunity response, like cytokine storm, lymphopenia, and a raised number of CD4 and CD8 T cells exhausted. These characteristics could lead to increase in mortality rates. Aim: The aim of this study measured the rate of TIM -3 mRNA expression which is considered an exhausted marker of CD8 T cells that associated with progression of disease, Material and method: 30 patients were diagnosed as infected with COVID-19 symptoms and require Intensive care units (ICU): 18 females and 14 males in the age range (22-82), the positive COVID-19 was detected via a positive real-time PCR on the specimens of the respiratory tract that had a collection from the Teaching Hospital in Al-Diwaniyah in the period from (September 2021 - March 2022), the Control group includes (17 blood sample) (8 males and 9 females) with age range (20-80 year), the blood sample undergoes to extract RNA to measurement amount of TIM3 by using reverse transcription real-time PCR. Result: the data in the study indicated the mean of the TIM -3 gene was increased statical significantly (1.3±0.6) in COVID-19 patients compared with the mean TIM -3 (0.6±0.3) in the Control group at significant (P≤0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]