Whether kidney transplant recipients are capable of mounting an effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 adaptive immune response despite chronic immunosuppression is unknown and has important implications for therapy. Herein, we analyzed peripheral blood cell surface and intracellular cytokine phenotyping by flow cytometry along with serum antibody testing in 18 kidney transplant recipients with active COVID-19 infection and 36 matched, transplanted controls without COVID-19. We observed significantly fewer total lymphocytes, fewer circulating memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the COVID-19 subjects. We also showed fewer anergic and senescent CD8+ T cells in COVID-19 individuals, but no differences in exhausted CD8+ T cells, nor in any of these CD4+ T cell subsets between groups. We also observed greater frequencies of activated B cells in the COVID-19 patients. Sixteen of 18 COVID-19 subjects tested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 serum antibodies showed positive IgM or IgG titers. Additional analyses showed no significant correlation s among immune phenotypes and degrees of COVID-19 disease severity. Our findings indicate that immunosuppressed kidney transplant recipients admitted to the hospital with acute COVID-19 infection can mount SARS-CoV-2-reactive adaptive immune responses. The findings raise the possibility that empiric reductions in immunosuppressive therapy for all kidney transplant recipients with active COVID-19 may not be required.
BACKGROUND: Several studies have described the clinical characteristics of patients with novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)-infected pneumonia (COVID-19), indicating severe patients tended to have higher neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Whether baseline NLR could be an independent predictor of in-hospital death in Chinese COVID-19 patients remains to be investigated. METHODS: A cohort of patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from January 1 to February 29 w...
Last. Alessandro Sette(UCSD: University of California, San Diego)H-Index: 165
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Summary Understanding adaptive immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is important for vaccine development, interpreting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathogenesis, and calibration of pandemic control measures. Using HLA class I and II predicted peptide ‘megapools', circulating SARS-CoV-2−specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells were identified in ∼70% and 100% of COVID-19 convalescent patients, respectively. CD4+ T cell responses to spike, the main target of most vaccine efforts, were robust and correlated with th...
Solid organ transplant recipients may be at a high risk for SARS-CoV2 infection and poor associated outcomes. We herein report our initial experience with solid organ transplant recipients with SARS-CoV2 infection at two centers during the first 3 weeks of the outbreak in New York City. Baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, antiviral and immunosuppressive management were compared between patients with mild/moderate and severe disease (defined as ICU admission, intubation or death). 90...
#1Quanxin Long(LMB: Laboratory of Molecular Biology)H-Index: 17
#2Bai Zhong Liu(CQMU: Chongqing Medical University)H-Index: 1
Last. Ailong Huang(LMB: Laboratory of Molecular Biology)H-Index: 37
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We report acute antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in 285 patients with COVID-19. Within 19 days after symptom onset, 100% of patients tested positive for antiviral immunoglobulin-G (IgG). Seroconversion for IgG and IgM occurred simultaneously or sequentially. Both IgG and IgM titers plateaued within 6 days after seroconversion. Serological testing may be helpful for the diagnosis of suspected patients with negative RT–PCR results and for the identification of asymptomatic infections. A cross-sect...
Last. Dexi Chen(Capital Medical University)H-Index: 20
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The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the new virus SARS-CoV-2 has been announced as a public health emergency of international concern. The clinical features of patients with COVID-19 range from common fever and cough to other rare symptoms, such as diarrhea and nausea. This disease can progress quickly, and 2–3% of patients die within a short time, which is generally due to multiple organ failure. Clinically, COVID-19 patients are classified into mild, moderate, severe,...
#1Matthew Zirui Tay(Agency for Science, Technology and Research)H-Index: 4
#2Chek Meng Poh(Agency for Science, Technology and Research)H-Index: 12
Last. Lisa F. P. Ng(Agency for Science, Technology and Research)H-Index: 48
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Alongside investigations into the virology of SARS-CoV-2, understanding the fundamental physiological and immunological processes underlying the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 is vital for the identification and rational design of effective therapies. Here, we provide an overview of the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We describe the inter...
BackgroundSince December, 2019, Wuhan, China, has experienced an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 have been reported but risk factors for mortality and a detailed clinical course of illness, including viral shedding, have not been well described.
Last. Hongming Miao(Third Military Medical University)H-Index: 3
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Background: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly escalating epidemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Identification of a simple and effective indicator to assess disease severity and outcome is urgently needed. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed dynamic changes of lymphocyte percentage (LYM%) in 15 death cases, 15 severe cases as well as 40 moderate cases of COVID-19 patients. Next, prognostic role of lymphopenia in COVID-19 were verified in 92 hospitalized cases. Results: Our result...
Last. Chen Wang(China-Japan Friendship Hospital)H-Index: 4
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Abstract Background No therapeutics have yet been proven effective for the treatment of severe illness caused by SARS-CoV-2. Methods We conducted a randomized, controlled, open-label trial involvin...
Background : The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is challenging health systems all over the world. Particularly high-risk groups show considerable mortality rates after infection. In 2020, an inexorable number of case reports, case series and ultimately various systematic reviews have been published reporting on morbidity and mortality risk of SARS-CoV-2 in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. However, this vast array of publications resulted in an increasing complexity of the field, overwhelming even t...
Solid organ transplant (SOT) candidates and recipients were not included in the COVID-19 vaccine trials that have justified vaccine administration to millions worldwide and will be critical to ending the pandemic. The risks of COVID-19 for SOT candidates and recipients combined with data about this population's response to other vaccines has led to transplant centers recommending vaccination for their candidates and recipients in accordance with guidance from major transplant organizations. Rele...
ABSTRACT null null Introduction null During the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread introduction of SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing was introduced without a full understanding of the assays performance or the antibody kinetics following infection with SARS-CoV-2. null null null Methods null We performed an evaluation of two anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays with a more detailed look into the effect of immune status on antibody sensitivity. null null null Results null Both assays demonstrated a 100% specific...
Last. Khalid Akkari(King Fahad Specialist Hospital)H-Index: 3
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BACKGROUND Kidney transplant services all over the world were severely impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The optimum management of kidney transplant recipients with coronavirus disease 2019 remains uncertain. MATERIAL AND METHODS We conducted a multicenter cohort study of kidney transplant recipients with coronavirus disease 2019 infection in Saudi Arabia. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to study predictors of graft and patient outcomes at 28 days after coronaviru...
Last. Roberto Cacciola(University of Rome Tor Vergata)H-Index: 7
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Background and Objectives: In the era of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the management of immunosuppressive (IS) therapy in kidney transplant (KT) recipients affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) requires attention. It is not yet understood whether IS therapy may protect from the cytokine storm induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection or a temporary adjustment/withdrawal of IS therapy to restore the immune system may be necessary. We performed a syste...
#1Garrett R. Roll(UCSF: University of California, San Francisco)H-Index: 16
#2Tyler Lunow-Luke(UCSF: University of California, San Francisco)
Last. Raja Rajalingam(UCSF: University of California, San Francisco)H-Index: 36
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Abstract HLA antibodies are typically produced after exposure to transplanted tissue, pregnancy, and blood products. Sensitization delays access to transplantation and preclude utilization of donor organs. Infections and vaccinations have also been reported to result in HLA antibody formation. It is not known if patients develop HLA antibodies after infection with SARS-CoV-2. Here we analyzed a series of eighteen patients waiting for kidney transplantation who had symptomatic COVID-19 disease an...
BACKGROUND: The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection has been studied in immunocompetent children. However, data in the pediatric kidney transplant population (PKT) are lacking. METHODS: Using two commercial immunoassays that measured IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and IgG against the nucleocapsid (N) protein, we screened 72 PKT recipients who attended the outpatient clinic for routine blood work. The majority of patients with positive serology underwent an additional serology...
Last. Mihai Oltean(University of Gothenburg)H-Index: 15
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Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients run a high risk for adverse outcomes from COVID-19, with reported mortality around 19%. We retrospectively reviewed all known Swedish SOT recipients with RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 between March 1st and November 20th, 2020 and analyzed patient characteristics, management, and outcome. We identified 230 patients with a median age of 54.0 years (13.2), who were predominantly male (64%). Most patients were hospitalized (64%), but 36% remained outpatients. Age ...