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Visvabharathy L, Zhu C, Orban ZS, Yarnoff K, Palacio N, Jimenez M, Lim PH, Penaloza-MacMaster P, Koralnik IJ. Autoantibody production is enhanced after mild SARS-CoV-2 infection despite vaccination in individuals with and without long COVID. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.04.07.23288243. [PMID: 37090595 PMCID: PMC10120795 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.07.23288243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Long COVID patients who experienced severe acute SARS-CoV-2 infection can present with humoral autoimmunity. However, whether mild SARS-CoV-2 infection increases autoantibody responses and whether vaccination can decrease autoimmunity in long COVID patients is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that mild SARS-CoV-2 infection increases autoantibodies associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and inflammatory myopathies in long COVID patients with persistent neurologic symptoms to a greater extent than COVID convalescent controls at 8 months post-infection. Furthermore, high titers of SLE-associated autoantibodies in long COVID patients are associated with impaired cognitive performance and greater symptom severity, and subsequent vaccination/booster does not decrease autoantibody titers. In summary, we found that mild SARS-CoV-2 infection can induce persistent humoral autoimmunity in both long COVID patients and healthy COVID convalescents, suggesting that a reappraisal of vaccination and mitigation strategies is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Visvabharathy
- Davee Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
| | - C Zhu
- Genomics and Microarray Core Facility, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
| | - ZS Orban
- Davee Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
| | - K Yarnoff
- Davee Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
| | - N Palacio
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
| | - M Jimenez
- Davee Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
| | - PH Lim
- Davee Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
| | - P Penaloza-MacMaster
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
| | - IJ Koralnik
- Davee Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
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Galán M, Vigón L, Fuertes D, Murciano-Antón MA, Casado-Fernández G, Domínguez-Mateos S, Mateos E, Ramos-Martín F, Planelles V, Torres M, Rodríguez-Mora S, López-Huertas MR, Coiras M. Persistent Overactive Cytotoxic Immune Response in a Spanish Cohort of Individuals With Long-COVID: Identification of Diagnostic Biomarkers. Front Immunol 2022; 13:848886. [PMID: 35401523 PMCID: PMC8990790 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.848886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-COVID is a new emerging syndrome worldwide that is characterized by the persistence of unresolved signs and symptoms of COVID-19 more than 4 weeks after the infection and even after more than 12 weeks. The underlying mechanisms for Long-COVID are still undefined, but a sustained inflammatory response caused by the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in organ and tissue sanctuaries or resemblance with an autoimmune disease are within the most considered hypotheses. In this study, we analyzed the usefulness of several demographic, clinical, and immunological parameters as diagnostic biomarkers of Long-COVID in one cohort of Spanish individuals who presented signs and symptoms of this syndrome after 49 weeks post-infection, in comparison with individuals who recovered completely in the first 12 weeks after the infection. We determined that individuals with Long-COVID showed significantly increased levels of functional memory cells with high antiviral cytotoxic activity such as CD8+ TEMRA cells, CD8±TCRγδ+ cells, and NK cells with CD56+CD57+NKG2C+ phenotype. The persistence of these long-lasting cytotoxic populations was supported by enhanced levels of CD4+ Tregs and the expression of the exhaustion marker PD-1 on the surface of CD3+ T lymphocytes. With the use of these immune parameters and significant clinical features such as lethargy, pleuritic chest pain, and dermatological injuries, as well as demographic factors such as female gender and O+ blood type, a Random Forest algorithm predicted the assignment of the participants in the Long-COVID group with 100% accuracy. The definition of the most accurate diagnostic biomarkers could be helpful to detect the development of Long-COVID and to improve the clinical management of these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Galán
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lorena Vigón
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Fuertes
- School of Telecommunications Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Guiomar Casado-Fernández
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Elena Mateos
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Biomedical Research Center Network in Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Ramos-Martín
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Vicente Planelles
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Montserrat Torres
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sara Rodríguez-Mora
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Biomedical Research Center Network in Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
| | - María Rosa López-Huertas
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Biomedical Research Center Network in Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Mayte Coiras
- Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Biomedical Research Center Network in Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
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Limbic encephalitis in a neuroscientist: CASPR 2 antibody-associated disease after antigen exposure. J Neuroimmunol 2020; 343:577231. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2020.577231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Lerner A, Shoenfeld Y, Matthias T. Probiotics: If It Does Not Help It Does Not Do Any Harm. Really? Microorganisms 2019; 7:microorganisms7040104. [PMID: 30979072 PMCID: PMC6517882 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7040104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 04/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Probiotics per definition should have beneficial effects on human health, and their consumption has tremendously increased in the last decades. In parallel, the amount of published material and claims for their beneficial efficacy soared continuously. Recently, multiple systemic reviews, meta-analyses, and expert opinions expressed criticism on their claimed effects and safety. The present review describes the dark side of the probiotics, in terms of problematic research design, incomplete reporting, lack of transparency, and under-reported safety. Highlighted are the potential virulent factors and the mode of action in the intestinal lumen, risking the physiological microbiome equilibrium. Finally, regulatory topics are discussed to lighten the heterogeneous guidelines applied worldwide. The shift in the scientific world towards a better understanding of the human microbiome, before consumption of the probiotic cargo, is highly endorsed. It is hoped that better knowledge will extend the probiotic repertoire, re-confirm efficacy or safety, establish their efficacy and substantiate their beneficial effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Lerner
- B. Rappaport School of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel.
- AESKU.KIPP Institute, 55234 Wendelsheim, Germany.
| | - Yehuda Shoenfeld
- The Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv 5262000, Israel.
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