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bioRxiv. 2020 May 18; doi: 10.1101/2020.05.18.101717.

Immunologic perturbations in severe COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 infection.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology

Leticia Kuri-Cervantes, M Betina Pampena, Wenzhao Meng, Aaron M Rosenfeld, Caroline A G Ittner, Ariel R Weisman, Roseline Agyekum, Divij Mathew, Amy E Baxter, Laura Vella, Oliva Kuthuru, Sokratis Apostolidis, Luanne Bershaw, Jeannete Dougherty, Allison R Greenplate, Ajinkya Pattekar, Justin Kim, Nicholas Han, Sigrid Gouma, Madison E Weirick, Claudia P Arevalo, Marcus J Bolton, Eileen C Goodwin, Elizabeth M Anderson, Scott E Hensley, Tiffanie K Jones, Nilam S Mangalmurti, Eline T Luning Prak, E John Wherry, Nuala J Meyer, Michael R Betts

PMID: 32511394 PMCID: PMC7263541 DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.18.101717

Abstract

Although critical illness has been associated with SARS-CoV-2-induced hyperinflammation, the immune correlates of severe COVID-19 remain unclear. Here, we comprehensively analyzed peripheral blood immune perturbations in 42 SARS-CoV-2 infected and recovered individuals. We identified broad changes in neutrophils, NK cells, and monocytes during severe COVID-19, suggesting excessive mobilization of innate lineages. We found marked activation within T and B cells, highly oligoclonal B cell populations, profound plasmablast expansion, and SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in many, but not all, severe COVID-19 cases. Despite this heterogeneity, we found selective clustering of severe COVID-19 cases through unbiased analysis of the aggregated immunological phenotypes. Our findings demonstrate broad immune perturbations spanning both innate and adaptive leukocytes that distinguish dysregulated host responses in severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and warrant therapeutic investigation.

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY: Broad immune perturbations in severe COVID-19.

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