The primary end-point of our prospective, observational study is to count T cells in patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and healthy controls. In addition, the expression of T cell exhaustion marker was measured in COVID-19 cases.
COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has posed
great threat to human health. T cells play a critical role in antiviral immunity but their
numbers and functional state in COVID-19 patients remain largely unclear. The immune response
against viral infections depends on the activation of cytotoxic T cells that can clear
infection by killing virus-infected cells, so boosting the numbers and function of T cells in
COVID-19 patients is critical for successful recovery. However, the factors which might cause
the reduction in count, and the activation status of T cells in COVID-19 patients, remain
uninvestigated. Thus demonstration of T cell exhaustion during COVID-19 infection suggest
that more urgent, early intervention may be required in patients with low T lymphocyte
counts.
Diagnostic Test: Flow cytometry
Lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood were assessed by staining 50 µl of blood sample with 5 µl of Fluoroisothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated- PD-1, phycoerythrin (PE)-conjugated-CD8, peridinium-chlorophyll-protein (Per-CP)-conjugated-CD4, Peridinium-chlorophyll-protein (Per-CP)-conjugated anti-CD3 and allophycocyanin (APC) conjugated anti-CD28.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosis of Covid-19 test positive; hospitalized subjects; both sexes; given informed
consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
- no exclusion criteriae
Faculty of Medicine
Assiut, Egypt
Hebatallah Hassan, Lecturer
01022182086
heba.ismailhassan@gmail.com