The Phenotypic Changes Of Gamma Delta T Cells In Covid-19 Patients

A novel pneumonia-associated respiratory syndrome named coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), which was caused by SARS-CoV-2?broke out in Wuhan, China, in the end of 2019. Unfortunately, there is no specific antiviral agent or vaccine available to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections. The information regarding the immunological characteristics in COVID-19 patients remains limited. Here, we collected the blood samples from 18 healthy donors (HD) and 38 COVID-19 patients to analyze changes on gamma delta T cell population. In comparison with HD, the gamma delta T cell percentage decreased, while the activation marker CD25 expression increased in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Interestingly, the CD4 expression was upregulated in gamma delta T cells reflecting the occurrence of a specific effector cell population, which may serve as a biomarker for the assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.