Clinical and molecular characteristics of COVID-19 patients with persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection

Bin Yang, Junpeng Fan, Jia Huang, Ensong Guo, Yu Fu, Si Liu, Rourou Xiao, Chen Liu, Funian Lu, Tianyu Qin, Chao He, Zizhuo Wang, Xu Qin, Dianxing Hu, Lixin You, Xi Li, Tian Wang, Peng Wu, Gang Chen, Jianfeng Zhou, Kezhen Li () and Chaoyang Sun ()
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Bin Yang: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Junpeng Fan: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Jia Huang: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Ensong Guo: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Yu Fu: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Si Liu: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Rourou Xiao: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Chen Liu: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Funian Lu: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Tianyu Qin: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Chao He: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Zizhuo Wang: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Xu Qin: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Dianxing Hu: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Lixin You: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Xi Li: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Tian Wang: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Peng Wu: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Gang Chen: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Jianfeng Zhou: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Kezhen Li: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Chaoyang Sun: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract The characteristics of COVID-19 patients with persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection are not yet well described. Here, we compare the clinical and molecular features of patients with long duration of viral shedding (LDs) with those from patients with short duration patients (SDs), and healthy donors (HDs). We find that several cytokines and chemokines, such as interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and lymphotoxin α (LT-α) are present at lower levels in LDs than SDs. Single-cell RNA sequencing shows that natural killer (NK) cells and CD14+ monocytes are reduced, while regulatory T cells are increased in LDs; moreover, T and NK cells in LDs are less activated than in SDs. Importantly, most cells in LDs show reduced expression of ribosomal protein (RP) genes and related pathways, with this inversed correlation between RP levels and infection duration further validated in 103 independent patients. Our results thus indicate that immunosuppression and low RP expression may be related to the persistence of the viral infection in COVID-19 patients.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23621-y

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