Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been raging around the world since January 2020. Pregnancy places the women in a unique immune scenario which may allow severe COVID‐19 disease. In this regard, the potential unknown effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on mothers and fetuses have attracted considerable attention. There is no clear consistent evidence of the changes in the immune status of pregnant women after recovery from COVID-19. In this study, we use multiparameter flow cytometry and Luminex assay to determine the immune cell subsets and cytokines, respectively, in the peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood from pregnant women recovering from COVID-19 about 3 months (n=5). Our results showed decreased percentages of Tc2, Tfh17, memory B cells, virus-specific NK cells, and increased percentages of naive B cells in the peripheral blood. Serum levels of IL-1ra and MCP-1 showed a decreased tendency in late recovery stage (LRS) patients. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in immune cell subsets in the umbilical cord blood. The placentas from LRS patients showed increased CD68+ macrophages infiltration and mild hypoxic features. The inflammatory damage of the placenta may be related to the antiviral response. Since the receptors, ACE2 and TMPRSS2, utilized by SARS-CoV-2 are not co-expressed in the placenta, so it is extremely rare for SARS-CoV-2 to cause infection through this route and the impact on the fetus is negligible.
Highlights
The rapid international spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in 54,558,120 confirmed cases and 1,320,148 deaths worldwide as of November 17, 2020 [1]
We analyzed the percentages of several lymphocyte subsets to get an overview of general distribution in the peripheral blood, mainly focusing on 75 immunological parameters including T cells, NK cells and gdT cells
We identified that most of the immune cell subsets in the peripheral blood of pregnant women recovering from COVID19 returned to the normal level, with only a few subsets changed including the decreased percentages of Tc2, Tfh17, memory B cells, and virus-specific NK cells
Summary
The rapid international spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in 54,558,120 confirmed cases and 1,320,148 deaths worldwide as of November 17, 2020 [1]. COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is an enveloped, non-segmented, positive-sense RNA virus and belongs to the coronavirus family [2]. The clinical manifestations may range from fever and cough to severe respiratory illness [3]. One of the prominent features of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection is lymphopenia, which is accompanied by an uncontrolled release of proinflammatory cytokines called “cytokine storm”, leading to second ARDS attack and aggravating widespread tissue damage [5, 6]. It is suggested that the susceptibility to COVID-19 is closely related to the individual’s immune status and immune dysfunction may play an important role in promoting the development of severe diseases
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
