Recovery from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and development of anamnestic immune responses in T cell-depleted rhesus macaques

摘要: Severe COVID-19 has been associated with T cell lymphopenia 1,2, but no causal effect of deficiency on disease severity established. To investigate the specific role cells in recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infections we studied rhesus macaques that were depleted either CD4+, CD8+ or both subsets prior to infection. Peak virus loads similar all groups, resolution cell-depleted animals was slightly delayed compared controls. The groups developed virus-neutralizing antibody responses and also class-switched IgG. When re-infected six weeks later, showed anamnestic immune characterized by rapid induction high-titer antibodies, faster control reduced clinical signs. These results indicate while play a acute infections, their depletion does not induce severe disease, do account for natural resistance COVID-19. Neither primed CD4+ appeared critical immunoglobulin class switching, development immunological memory protection second