Maturation of T and B Lymphocytes in the Assessment of the Immune Status in COVID-19 Patients

Abstract

Cell response to novel coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is currently a widely researched topic. The assessment of leukocytes population and the maturation of both B and T lymphocytes may be important in characterizing the immunological profile of COVID-19 patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate maturation of B and T cells in COVID-19 patients with interstitial lesions on chest X-ray (COVID-19 X-ray (+)), without changes on X-ray (COVID-19 X-ray (−)) and in healthy control. The study group consisted of 23 patients divided on two groups: COVID-19 X-ray (+) n = 14 and COVID-19 X-ray (−) n = 9 and control n = 20. The flow cytometry method was performed. We observed a significantly higher percentage of plasmablasts and lower CD4+ lymphocytes in COVID-19 X-ray (+) patients than in COVID-19 X-ray (−) and control. In the COVID-19 X-ray (+) patients, there was a lower proportion of effector CD4+ T cells, naïve CD8+ T cells and higher central memory CD4+ cells and effector CD8+ T cells than control. The above results showed that the assessment of selected cells of B and T lymphocytes by flow cytometry can distinguish patients with COVID-19 and differentiate patients with and without changes on chest X-ray.

Cytokines and Leukocytes Subpopulations Profile in SARS-CoV-2 Patients Depending on the CT Score Severity

“…As reported in recently published studies lymphopenia has been observed in most critical COVID-19 cases on admission and may be a potential prognostic factor [13][14][15][16]. In our previous study we found a lower proportion of T lymphocytes (CD4+ and CD8+ subsets), B lymphocytes, eosinophils and basophils in COVID-19 with interstitial lesions on chest X-ray than in healthy controls but we did not observe the differences in absolute number of analyzed leukocytes subpopulations between patients with and without lung lesions on chest X-ray [17]. This may confirm that the decrease in the absolute number of leukocytes may be related to the severity of the disease and manifest itself more in severe cases.…”

“…It should be mentioned, that despite lymphopenia, immune cells respond to COVID-19 infection. In our previous studies, we showed an increase in the number of activated lymphocytes -RE-LYMP parameter and plasmablasts [6] as well as CD4+ central memory and CD8+ effector cells in patients with COVID-19 without interstitial lesions on chest X-ray and with interstitial lesions on chest X-ray compared to the control group [17]. Other researchers also point to the emerging immune response in the form of activated, effector and memory T cells depending on the severity of the disease [49,50].…”

Usefulness of the New Hematological Parameter: Reactive Lymphocytes RE-LYMP with Flow Cytometry Markers of Inflammation in COVID-19

“…Our observation of the decline of CD38+ CD4+ cell population in COVID-19(+) patients relative to other infections was shown here for the first time. In our previous study we observed a significant lower median absolute count of CD4+ cells in patients with COVID-19(+) compared to healthy control while the CD4+ cell had mainly memory profile not effector profile [44].…”

“…Memory T cells have the ability to survive for long periods of time and are responsible for the rapid responses on subsequent exposure to antigen CD45RO [43]. In our previous study we observed that in patients with COVID-19 infection, lymphocytes CD8+ manifested effector profile, meanwhile lymphocytes CD4+ directed to memory profile [44]. In our opinion, the lower expression of CD45RO molecules on CD8+ cells may indicate undeveloped or impaired cell memory in COVID-19 patients, as opposed to CD4+ cells, where the expression of this molecule was at the level of the control group.…”

Neutrophil Maturation, Reactivity and Granularity Research Parameters to Characterize and Differentiate Convalescent Patients from Active SARS-CoV-2 Infection

“…Ongoing research has shown that lymphocytes and the subsets of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, B cells, and natural killer (NK) cells also play an important role in the maintenance of immune system function during COVID-19 [ 7 ]. COVID-19 patients exhibit a reduction in the absolute number of lymphocytes, including CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, which display markers related to activation or exhaustion/senescence, in addition to altered expression of master regulators and several chemokine receptors [ 8 , 9 ]. Routine laboratory parameters and the percentage or absolute number of leukocyte and lymphocyte subpopulations may be related to disease severity and prognosis [ 10 , 11 ].…”