ORIGINAL RESEARCH
The impact of tuberculosis on the development of immune response to SARS-CoV-2
Central Tuberculosis Research Institute, Moscow, Russia
Correspondence should be addressed: Galina S. Shepelkova
Yauza alley, 2, Moscow, 107564, Russia; ur.irtc@avoklepehs.g
Funding: research project FURE-2022-0010.
Author contribution: Shepelkova GS — planning the experiments and experimental procedure, analysis of the results, manuscript writing; Chernyh NA — selection of patients for inclusion in the study, primary data analysis; Kosiakova VK — experimental procedure, primary data analysis; Sadovnikova SS — selection of patients for inclusion in the study; Ergeshov A — study design; Yeremeev VV — study design, analysis of the results, manuscript writing.
Compliance with ethical standards: the study was conducted as part of the research project FURE-2022-0010 of the Central Tuberculosis Research Institute and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Central Tuberculosis Research Institute (protocol No. 13/1 dated 28 December 2021). All the patients included in the study submitted the informed consent before enrollment.
Given the fact, that adaptive immune response is important for control and elimination of viral infections causing human diseases, estimation of adaptive response to SARS-CoV-2 is extremely important. The neutralizing antibodies and CD4+/CD8+ T cells contribute to the SARS-CoV-2 control. Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of mortality among bacterial infections all over the world. Currently, treatment of tuberculosis is complicated by the COVID-19 co-infection. The aim of the study was to investigate the formation of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells specific for SARS-CoV-2 in patients with pulmonary TB. The levels of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and the amount of T cells specific for SARS-CoV-2 were estimated at two time points (3 and 6 months after COVID-19) in patients diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (69 individuals: 33 females and 36 males aged 18–70 years). Patients without tuberculosis (35 individuals: 25 females and 10 males aged 18–70 years) who had undergone COVID-19 served as the control group. The study showed equal levels of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in both groups 3 months after COVID-19. The levels of antibodies decreased 6 months after COVID-19 compared to the levels reported 3 months after the disease in both groups. The antibody levels were significantly lower in the group of patients with TB (p = 0.01). The amount of SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells was lower in TB patients 6 months after COVID-19 (p < 0.001) compared to the control group. Thus, TB co-infection reduces the specific immune response to SARS-CoV-2 6 months after COVID-19.
Keywords: tuberculosis, IgG, COVID-19, immunologic memory, CD4+ T lymphocytes