ArticleFrontiers in immunology2025
Contrasting immune responses in COVID-19: insights from healthcare workers and infected patients on plasmablast, pDC, and NK cell dynamics.
Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- High Frequencies of Senescent and Exhausted Natural Killer Cells and SARS-CoV-2-Specific Memory CD8Viruses · 2026Article
- Effect of Antiretroviral Therapy, Immune Dysregulation, and COVID-19 Vaccination on SARS-CoV-2 Outcomes in PLWHA in Kenya.AIDS research and treatment · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
19 authors.
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Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has highlighted significant variability in disease severity, ranging from asymptomatic cases to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. Objective: Understanding the immune responses that contribute to this variability, particularly among healthcare workers (HCWs) frequently exposed to the virus, is essential. Materials and methods: This was a prospective single-center longitudinal cohort study. We included hospitalized COVID-19+ patients, classified as having mild or moderate-to-severe symptoms, and unvaccinated HCWs with low susceptibility. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected and analyzed using flow cytometry. We measured the frequencies of key immune subsets, including plasmablasts, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), and Natural Killer (NK) cells. SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) were quantified using pseudotyped HIV particles. Results: COVID-19+ patients exhibited a significant increase in plasmablasts, a B-cell subset responsible for producing neutralizing antibodies, which correlated with disease severity (p=0.0082). Conversely, uninfected HCWs had low levels of plasmablasts but significantly higher levels of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) (p<0.0001), which produce interferons upon activation by viral antigens. Additionally, HCWs had a higher percentage of CD56bright NK cells than the susceptible patients (p=0.02). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that immune dysregulation, characterized by increased plasmablasts and reduced pDC and NK cell responses, contributes to COVID-19 severity. Strong pDC and NK cell responses may confer protection against SARS-CoV-2. These insights into immune responses may inform strategies for therapeutic interventions and vaccine development.
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