Detection of SARS-CoV-2-Specific Humoral and Cellular Immunity in COVID-19 Convalescent Individuals

• Published in: Immunity (Cambridge, Mass.) Vol. 52; no. 6; pp. 971 - 977.e3
• Main Authors: Ni, Ling, Ye, Fang, Cheng, Meng-Li, Feng, Yu, Deng, Yong-Qiang, Zhao, Hui, Wei, Peng, Ge, Jiwan, Gou, Mengting, Li, Xiaoli, Sun, Lin, Cao, Tianshu, Wang, Pengzhi, Zhou, Chao, Zhang, Rongrong, Liang, Peng, Guo, Han, Wang, Xinquan, Qin, Cheng-Feng, Chen, Fang, Dong, Chen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 16.06.2020; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adaptive immunity; Adult; Antibodies; Antibodies, Neutralizing - immunology; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Betacoronavirus - physiology; Cell-mediated immunity; Convalescence; Coronavirus Infections - blood; Coronavirus Infections - immunology; Coronavirus Infections - pathology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 patients; Female; Health care; Humans; Humoral immunity; IgG antibody; Immune response; Immunity; Immunity, Cellular; Immunity, Humoral; Immunoglobulin G; Infections; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Male; Middle Aged; Middle East respiratory syndrome; Neutralization; Pandemics; Pathogenesis; Patients; Pneumonia, Viral - blood; Pneumonia, Viral - immunology; Pneumonia, Viral - pathology; Proteins; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody; SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - immunology; Vaccines; Viral diseases; Viruses; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 patients; SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody; adaptive immunity; SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells
• ISSN: 1074-7613; 1097-4180; 1097-4180
• DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2020.04.023

The World Health Organization has declared SARS-CoV-2 virus outbreak a worldwide pandemic. However, there is very limited understanding on the immune responses, especially adaptive immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here, we collected blood from COVID-19 patients who have recently become virus-free, and therefore were discharged, and detected SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral and cellular immunity in eight newly discharged patients. Follow-up analysis on another cohort of six patients 2 weeks post discharge also revealed high titers of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. In all 14 patients tested, 13 displayed serum-neutralizing activities in a pseudotype entry assay. Notably, there was a strong correlation between neutralization antibody titers and the numbers of virus-specific T cells. Our work provides a basis for further analysis of protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2, and understanding the pathogenesis of COVID-19, especially in the severe cases. It also has implications in developing an effective vaccine to SARS-CoV-2 infection. •SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies are detected in COVID-19 convalescent subjects•Most COVID-19 convalescent individuals have detectable neutralizing antibodies•Cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 are found in COVID-19 convalescent subjects•Neutralization antibody titers correlate with the numbers of virus-specific T cells. In blood samples from COVID-19 convalescent subjects, Ni et al. have detected SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral and cellular immunity. Most subjects display serum neutralizing activities, which correlate with the numbers of virus-specific T cells.