Abstract
Indigenous peoples globally are at increased risk of COVID-19-associated morbidity and mortality. However, data that describe immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in Indigenous populations are lacking. We evaluated immune responses in Australian First Nations peoples hospitalized with COVID-19. Our work comprehensively mapped out inflammatory, humoral and adaptive immune responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients were recruited early following the lifting of strict public health measures in the Northern Territory, Australia, between November 2021 and May 2022. Australian First Nations peoples recovering from COVID-19 showed increased levels of MCP-1 and IL-8 cytokines, IgG-antibodies against Delta-RBD and memory SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses prior to hospital discharge in comparison with hospital admission, with resolution of hyperactivated HLA-DR+CD38+ T cells. SARS-CoV-2 infection elicited coordinated ASC, Tfh and CD8+ T cell responses in concert with CD4+ T cell responses. Delta and Omicron RBD-IgG, as well as Ancestral N-IgG antibodies, strongly correlated with Ancestral RBD-IgG antibodies and Spike-specific memory B cells. We provide evidence of broad and robust immune responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection in Indigenous peoples, resembling those of non-Indigenous COVID-19 hospitalized patients.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 964-974 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Immunology and Cell Biology |
| Volume | 101 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors acknowledge Kelly Hosking, Teresa De Santis, Catherine Marshall, Bhavini Patel, Erin Gargan, Jessica Webb, Minka Dickson, Leiana Hewett Emily Vintour-Cesar, Melita McKinnon, Cath Van Wessel and Celeste Woerle from the Menzies School of Health research for participants’ recruitment and blood processing. We acknowledge the Melbourne Cytometry Platform (Peter Doherty Institute and Melbourne Brain Centre nodes) for provision of flow cytometry services. We acknowledge BEI Resources, NIAID, NIH for providing Peptide Array, SARS-Related Coronavirus 2 Spike (S) Glycoprotein, NR-52402. This work was supported by the NHMRC Leadership Investigator Grant to KK (#1173871), Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (#T11-712/19-N) to KK, the MRFF Award (#2005544) to KK, SJK and JD, MRFF Award (#2016062) to KK, THON, LCR, AKW, SJK, JD and JR, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Level 1 Investigator Grant to THON (#1194036) and AKW (#1173433) and 2021 Doherty Agility Fund to THON, KK, AW and WZ. WZ is supported by the Melbourne Research Scholarship from The University of Melbourne. EBC is supported by an NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellowship (#1091516). This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. 75N93021C00018 (NIAID Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response, CEIRR). Open access publishing facilitated by The University of Melbourne, as part of the Wiley - The University of Melbourne agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.
Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge Kelly Hosking, Teresa De Santis, Catherine Marshall, Bhavini Patel, Erin Gargan, Jessica Webb, Minka Dickson, Leiana Hewett Emily Vintour‐Cesar, Melita McKinnon, Cath Van Wessel and Celeste Woerle from the Menzies School of Health research for participants’ recruitment and blood processing. We acknowledge the Melbourne Cytometry Platform (Peter Doherty Institute and Melbourne Brain Centre nodes) for provision of flow cytometry services. We acknowledge BEI Resources, NIAID, NIH for providing Peptide Array, SARS‐Related Coronavirus 2 Spike (S) Glycoprotein, NR‐52402. This work was supported by the NHMRC Leadership Investigator Grant to KK (#1173871), Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (#T11‐712/19‐N) to KK, the MRFF Award (#2005544) to KK, SJK and JD, MRFF Award (#2016062) to KK, THON, LCR, AKW, SJK, JD and JR, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Level 1 Investigator Grant to THON (#1194036) and AKW (#1173433) and 2021 Doherty Agility Fund to THON, KK, AW and WZ. WZ is supported by the Melbourne Research Scholarship from The University of Melbourne. EBC is supported by an NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellowship (#1091516). This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. 75N93021C00018 (NIAID Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response, CEIRR). Open access publishing facilitated by The University of Melbourne, as part of the Wiley ‐ The University of Melbourne agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Immunology & Cell Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology, Inc.
