ArticleThe Journal of clinical investigation2023
Prevalence and functional profile of SARS-CoV-2 T cells in asymptomatic Kenyan adults.
Article in The Journal of clinical investigation, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Reduced COVID-19 severity in Africa: a systematic review of host genetic and immunological responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of inhaled interferon-β1a on SARS-CoV-2 diversity and evolution.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Trial
- Relative efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of bivalent versus monovalent COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccines: a randomized trial.Research square · 2026Article
- Article
- Abortive infection: T cells as early, antibody-independent defenders.Nature reviews. Immunology · 2026Article
- Mechanisms underlying immunodynamics of layered defenses elicited by mRNA vaccination in children.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Compartmentalised mucosal and blood immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is associated with high seroprevalence before the Delta wave in Africa.Communications medicine · 2025Article
- Immune response dynamics to SARS-CoV-2 in the Albanian population: A study on T-cell and antibody interactions during the transition from pandemic to endemic phase.Infectious diseases & immunity · 2025Article
- Article
- Association of SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity with Persistent Immune Activation in HIV/Tuberculosis Co-Infected Patients.Reports (MDPI) · 2024Article
- T cell hybrid immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in children: a longitudinal study.EBioMedicine · 2024Article
- Correlates of protection against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 in vaccinated children.Nature medicine · 2024Article
- Post-pandemic memory T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 is durable, broadly targeted, and cross-reactive to the hypermutated BA.2.86 variant.Cell host & microbe · 2024Article
- Silent battles: immune responses in asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.Cellular & molecular immunology · 2024Review
- SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a Protein as a Therapeutic Target against COVID-19 and Long-Term Post-Infection Effects.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Better understanding CD8Nature immunology · 2023Article
- Performance of SARS COV-2 IgG Anti-N as an Independent Marker of Exposure to SARS COV-2 in an Unvaccinated West African Population.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023Article
- T cell immune memory after covid-19 and vaccination.BMJ medicine · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
21 authors at 9 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 infection in Africa has been characterized by a less severe disease profile than what has been observed elsewhere, but the profile of SARS-CoV-2-specific adaptive immunity in these mainly asymptomatic patients has not, to our knowledge, been analyzed.MethodsWe collected blood samples from residents of rural Kenya (n = 80), who had not experienced any respiratory symptoms or had contact with individuals with COVID-19 and had not received COVID-19 vaccines. We analyzed spike-specific antibodies and T cells specific for SARS-CoV-2 structural (membrane, nucleocapsid, and spike) and accessory (ORF3a, ORF7, ORF8) proteins. Pre-pandemic blood samples collected in Nairobi (n = 13) and blood samples from mild-to-moderately symptomatic COVID-19 convalescent patients (n = 36) living in the urban environment of Singapore were also studied.ResultsAmong asymptomatic Africans, we detected anti-spike antibodies in 41.0% of the samples and T cell responses against 2 or more SARS-CoV-2 proteins in 82.5% of samples examined. Such a pattern was absent in the pre-pandemic samples. Furthermore, distinct from cellular immunity in European and Asian COVID-19 convalescents, we observed strong T cell immunogenicity against viral accessory proteins (ORF3a, ORF8) but not structural proteins, as well as a higher IL-10/IFN-γ cytokine ratio profile.ConclusionsThe high incidence of T cell responses against different SARS-CoV-2 proteins in seronegative participants suggests that serosurveys underestimate SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in settings where asymptomatic infections prevail. The functional and antigen-specific profile of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells in African individuals suggests that environmental factors can play a role in the development of protective antiviral immunity.FundingUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global Health Protection; the Singapore Ministry of Health's National Medical Research Council (COVID19RF3-0060, COVID19RF-001, COVID19RF-008, MOH-StaR17Nov-0001).
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