Self-directed autoantibodies against certain chemokines may protect against long-COVID Autoantibodies Chemokines Coronavirus Disease COVID LongCOVID NatImmunol
The spectrum of coronavirus disease 2019 manifestation is broad, with convalescent subjects reporting protracted symptoms, a condition termed post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 or long COVID. Some evidence suggests the role of virus persistence, autoimmunity, and immune dysregulation in driving long COVID. Nonetheless, the biological mechanisms underlying this condition are not well understood.
The study and findings In the present study, researchers applied a peptide-based strategy to quantify antibodies binding to a functional region of 43 human chemokines following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Plasma samples were obtained from 71 COVID-19 convalescent individuals at an average of six months post-disease onset. Additionally, samples from non-infected individuals served as controls.
Further, the team noted that antibody levels of the COVID-19 chemokine signature did not correlate with half-maximal neutralizing titers or IgG levels against the SARS-CoV-2 spike’s receptor-binding domain . Antibodies against specific chemokines increased at month 12 post-onset relative to month 6. Unlike anti-RBD antibodies that decayed over time, antibodies against some chemokines increased over 12 months.
Over 65% of the Lugano cohort participants had at least one persistent symptom. Symptoms were more frequent among hospitalized than outpatient convalescent individuals. Subjects with long COVID, particularly females, and outpatients, exhibited lower cumulative chemokine antibody levels than those without long COVID. However, anti-RBD IgG levels and NT50 titers were comparable between those with and without long COVID.
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