T cells are involved in control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but limited knowledge is available on the relationship between antigen-specific T cell response and disease severity. Here, we used flow cytometry to assess the magnitude, function, and phenotype of SARS coronavirus 2–specific (SARS-CoV-2–specific) CD4 + T cells in 95 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 38 of them being HIV-1 and/or tuberculosis (TB) coinfected, and 38 non–COVID-19 patients. We showed that SARS-CoV-2–specific CD4 + T cell attributes, rather than magnitude, were associated with disease severity, with severe disease being characterized by poor polyfunctional potential, reduced proliferation capacity, and enhanced HLA-DR expression. Moreover, HIV-1 and TB coinfection skewed the SARS-CoV-2 T cell response. HIV-1–mediated CD4 + T cell depletion associated with suboptimal T cell and humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, and a decrease in the polyfunctional capacity of SARS-CoV-2–specific CD4 + T cells was observed in COVID-19 patients with active TB. Our results also revealed that COVID-19 patients displayed reduced frequency of Mycobacterium tuberculosis –specific CD4 + T cells, with possible implications for TB disease progression. These results corroborate the important role of SARS-CoV-2–specific T cells in COVID-19 pathogenesis and support the concept of altered T cell functions in patients with severe disease.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, AIDS/HIV, Cellular immune response, T cells, Tuberculosis, 【초록키워드】 coronavirus disease, SARS-CoV-2, Coronavirus disease 2019, coronavirus, T cells, Tuberculosis, knowledge, disease severity, CD4, flow cytometry, Antigen, Disease progression, T cell, COVID-19 pathogenesis, immune responses, HIV-1, Patient, phenotype, humoral immune response, SARS Coronavirus, humoral immune responses, expression, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, patients, HLA-DR, T cell response, function, COVID-19 patients, Frequency, severe disease, COVID-19 patient, proliferation, Support, hospitalized COVID-19 patients, T cell depletion, attributes, implication, decrease, involved, reduced, characterized, magnitude, skewed, the SARS-CoV-2, 【제목키워드】 Tuberculosis, COVID-19 severity, CD4, relationship,