Severe COVID-19 may cause long-lasting alterations to the innate immune system, the first line of defense against pathogens, according to a small study. These changes may help explain why the disease can damage so many different organs and why some people with long COVID have high levels of inflammation throughout the body. The findings were published online today in the journal Cell.
The researchers observed these changes as much as a year after the participants came down with COVID-19. Due to the small number of study participants, the scientists could not establish a direct association between the cellular and molecular changes and health outcomes.
The investigators suspected that an inflammatory cytokine called IL-6 might play role in establishing the changes in gene-expression instructions. They tested their hypothesis both in mice with COVID-19-like disease and in people with COVID-19. In these experiments, some of the subjects received antibodies at the early stage of illness that prevented IL-6 from binding to cells. During recovery, these mice and people had lower levels of altered stem cell gene-expression instructions, monocyte production and inflammatory cytokine production than subjects that didn't receive the antibody. In addition, the lungs and brains of mice that received the antibodies had fewer monocyte-derived cells and less organ damage.
Additionally, the findings suggest that early-acting IL-6 is likely a major driver of long-term inflammation in people with severe COVID-19. These findings shed light on the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and may provide new leads for therapies. The results also underscore the importance of staying up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccines, which are proven to protect against serious illness, hospitalization and death.
Belgique Dernières Nouvelles, Belgique Actualités
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