Pregnant women are generally more susceptible to viral infection. Although the impact of SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy remains to be determined, evidence indicates that the risk factors for severe COVID-19 are similar in pregnancy to the general population. Here we systemically analyzed the clinical characteristics of pregnant and non-pregnant female COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized during the same period and found that pregnant patients developed marked lymphopenia and higher inflammation evident by higher C-reactive protein and IL-6. To elucidate the pathways that might contribute to immunopathology or protective immunity against COVID-19 during pregnancy, we applied single-cell mRNA sequencing to profile peripheral blood mononuclear cells from four pregnant and six non-pregnant female patients after recovery along with four pregnant and three non-pregnant healthy donors. We found normal clonal expansion of T cells in the pregnant patients, heightened activation and chemotaxis in NK, NKT, and MAIT cells, and differential interferon responses in the monocyte compartment. Our data present a unique feature in both innate and adaptive immune responses in pregnant patients recovered from COVID-19.
【저자키워드】 Infectious diseases, Innate immune cells, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Inflammation, viral infection, Hospitalized, severe COVID-19, Clinical characteristics, IL-6, Sequencing, C-reactive protein, immunopathology, risk factor, monocyte, Peripheral blood, lymphopenia, T cell, Pregnancy, cells, protective immunity, mRNA, female, pathway, General population, women, Adaptive immune response, interferon response, single-cell, Evidence, pregnant, COVID-19 patient, mononuclear cell, Activation, healthy donors, chemotaxis, pregnant patients, susceptible, NKT, analyzed, applied, indicate, contribute, unique, female patient, systemically, pregnant patient, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19, immune response, pregnant patient,