RESUMEN
High autoantibody levels are found in individuals hospitalized for COVID-19. The temporal trajectories and levels of these autoantibodies months into convalescence after SARS-CoV-2 infection are unclear. It is also unknown if the composite autoantibody signatures of convalescent SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals resemble those with diagnosed autoimmune diseases. We measured the circulating levels of 17 autoantibodies associated with autoimmune connective tissue diseases from SARS-CoV-2 hospitalized and outpatient participants, as well as from individuals with scleroderma (SSc), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and uninfected pre-pandemic controls. Seven of the 17 autoantibodies measured were higher in hospitalized and/or outpatient SARS-CoV-2 individuals an average of six months after symptom onset compared with controls, with multivariate analyses revealing links between SARS-CoV-2 infection and positivity of SSB-La, Sm, Proteinase 3, Myleoperoxidase, Jo-1, and Ku reactive IgG six months post-symptom onset. Autoantibody levels from SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals were followed over time from initial symptom onset for an average of six months, and different temporal autoantibody trajectories were classified. A negative, then positive expression pattern was found for at least one autoantibody in 18% of the outpatient and 53% of the hospitalized participants, indicating initiation and durable expression of self-reactive immune responses post-infection, particularly with severe acute illness. Analysis of individual participant autoantibody expression patterns revealed similar patterns between pre-pandemic and convalescent SARS-CoV-2 infected groups that are distinct from participants with both the SSc and SLE. As autoantibody positivity can occur years prior to autoimmune disease onset, the possibility that SARS-CoV-2-associated autoantibodies are a herald of future autoimmune disorders requires further investigation. One Sentence SummaryAutoantibody levels rise after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and remain elevated for at least six months after symptom onset in participants with mild or severe COVID-19.
RESUMEN
ObjectiveSARS-CoV-2 infection induces significant inflammatory cytokine production in adults, but infant cytokine signatures in pregnancies affected by maternal SARS-CoV-2 are less well characterized. We aimed to evaluate cytokine profiles of mothers and their infants following COVID-19 in pregnancy. Study DesignSerum samples at delivery from 31 mother-infant dyads with maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy (COVID) were examined in comparison to 29 control dyads (Control). Samples were evaluated using a 13-plex cytokine assay. ResultsIn comparison with controls, interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10) were higher in COVID maternal and infant samples (p<0.05) and IL-8 uniquely elevated in COVID infant samples (p<0.05). Significant elevations in IL-6, IP-10 and IL-8 were found among both early (1st/2nd Trimester) and late (3rd Trimester) maternal SARS-CoV-2 infections. ConclusionsMaternal SARS-CoV-2 infections throughout gestation are associated with increased maternal and infant inflammatory cytokines at birth with potential to impact long-term infant health.