Abstract
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a recently discovered strain of coronavirus. The virus has spread rapidly, causing millions of death worldwide. Contrary to the predictions, prevalence and mortality due to COVID-19 have remained moderate on the African continent. Several factors, including age, genetics, vaccines, and co-infections, might impact the course of the pandemic in Africa. Helminths are highly endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa and are renowned for their ability to evade, skew, and suppress human immune responses through various immune-modulatory mechanisms. Such effects will likely impact SARS-CoV-2 transmission and disease progression.
Methods: Here, we analyzed in vitro the impact of antigen extracts from three major helminth parasites, including Onchocerca volvulus, Brugia malayi, and Ascaris lumbricoides, on the immune reactivity to SARS-CoV-2 peptides in COVID-19 patients. Activation of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells was investigated using flow cytometry to monitor the expression of CD137 (4-1BB) and CD69. Cytokine expression, including IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ, and TNFα, was measured by Luminex in cell culture supernatants.
Results: We observed that helminth antigens significantly reduced the frequency of SARS-CoV-2-reactive CD4 + T helper cells. In contrast, the expression of SARS-CoV-2-reactive CD8 + T cells was not affected and even significantly increased when PBMCs from COVID-19 patients living in Benin, an endemic helminth country, were used. In addition, stimulation with helminth antigens was associated with increased IL-10 and a reduction of IFNγ and TNFα.
Conclusions: Our data offer a plausible explanation for the moderate incidence of COVID-19 in Africa and support the hypothesis that helper T cell-mediated immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 are mitigated in the presence of helminth antigens, while virus-specific cytotoxic T cell responses are maintained.
Keywords: CD137 (4-1BB); CD4+ helper and CD8+ T cytotoxic T cells; CD69; COVID-19; Helminth antigens; SARS-CoV-2; activation markers.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, CD137 (4-1BB), CD4+ helper and CD8+ T cytotoxic T cells, CD69, Helminth antigens, activation markers., 【초록키워드】 coronavirus disease, Coronavirus disease 2019, coronavirus, pandemic, Mortality, Vaccines, T cells, IL-6, parasites, SARS-CoV-2 peptides, in vitro, virus, CD4, CD8, genetics, flow cytometry, immune, Antigen, Spread, Prevalence, Disease progression, T cell, Cytotoxic T cells, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, sub-Saharan Africa, immune responses, African, Respiratory disease, peptides, Factors, death, antigens, PBMC, age, mechanisms, IL-10, expression, moderate, T cell response, COVID-19 patients, IFN-γ, Stimulation, T helper cells, Endemic, Hypothesis, Frequency, PBMCs, CD69, COVID-19 patient, Cytotoxic T cell, immune reactivity, Support, reduction, Activation, IFNγ, TNFα, CD4+, human immune response, cell-mediated immune response, CD8+, offer, MONITOR, cell culture supernatants, helper, CD137, cytokine expression, Effect, country, helminth, Ascaris lumbricoides, Brugia malayi, Onchocerca volvulus, significantly increased, Course, was measured, analyzed, caused, significantly, addition, investigated, remained, reduced, were used, evade, suppress, reactivity, not affected, incidence of COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 peptide, 【제목키워드】 in vitro, CD4, CD8, Antigen, Activation, T lymphocyte, helminth, modulate, convalescent COVID-19 patient,