Differential alterations in peripheral lymphocyte subsets in COVID-19 patients: upregulation of double-positive and double-negative T cells

Viral infections cause alteration in the total number of lymphocytes and their subset distribution. We aimed to study peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in COVID-19 patients and to correlate these subsets with clinical and laboratory data, which may help in clarifying the pathogenesis to develop no...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine Vol. 16; no. 2; p. 758
Main Authors:	Zahran, Asmaa M, Zahran, Zeinab Albadry M, Mady, Yasmeen H, Mahran, Essam Eldeen M O, Rashad, Alaa, Makboul, Ahmed, Nasif, Khalid A, Abdelmaksoud, Aida A, El-Badawy, Omnia
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Italy PAGEPress Publications, Pavia, Italy 10-06-2021
Subjects:	Original COVID-19 lymphocyte subsets double-positive T cells SARS-CoV-2 double-negative T cells
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Summary:	Viral infections cause alteration in the total number of lymphocytes and their subset distribution. We aimed to study peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in COVID-19 patients and to correlate these subsets with clinical and laboratory data, which may help in clarifying the pathogenesis to develop novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for COVID-19. Twenty-six reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed COVID-19 patients were subjected to medical history-taking and a thorough clinical examination. Laboratory tests included complete blood count, D dimer, ferritin, and C-reactive protein (CRP). Chest CT was used to diagnose COVID-19 pneumonia. Lymphocyte subsets were compared with those in 20 healthy controls using flow cytometry. Leucopenia, relative neutrophilia, lymphopenia, eosinopenia together with marked elevation in neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio were observed in our COVID-19 patients. A marked reduction was observed in T cells, including both CD4 and CD8 cells, natural killer (NK), and natural killer T cells (NKT). Double-positive T (DPT) cells, double-negative T (DNT) cells, and B cells were elevated in the patients relative to the other lymphocyte subsets. Immune-inflammatory parameters are of utmost importance in understanding the pathogenesis and in the provisional diagnosis of COVID-19. Yet, adequate care must be taken during their interpretation because of the vast discrepancies observed between studies even in the same locality. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of B cells, DPT, and DNT cells in the pathogenesis and control of COVID-19.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Availability of data and materials: All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was reviewed and accepted by the Institutional Ethics Committee, IRB no. 17300436. Informed consent was obtained from all participants before joining the study. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests, and all authors confirm accuracy. Contributions: AMZ, OEB, contributed to the study conception and design; ZAMZ, YHM, first of manuscript draft. All authors performed material preparation, data collection and analysis, commented previous versions of the manuscript, read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
ISSN:	1828-695X 2049-6958
DOI:	10.4081/mrm.2021.758