Immune Response to COVID-19: Can We Benefit from the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV Pandemic Experience?

Abstract

The global range and high fatality rate of the newest human coronavirus (HCoV) pandemic has made SARS-CoV-2 the focus of the scientific world. Next-generation sequencing of the viral genome and a phylogenetic analysis have shown the high homology of SARS-CoV-2 to other HCoVs that have led to local epidemics in the past. The experience acquired in SARS and MERS epidemics may prove useful in understanding the SARS-CoV-2 pathomechanism and lead to effective treatment and potential vaccine development. This study summarizes the immune response to SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 and focuses on T cell response, humoral immunity, and complement system activation in different stages of HCoVs infections. The study also presents the quantity and frequency of T cell responses, particularly CD4⁺ and CD8⁺; the profile of cytokine production and secretion; and its relation to T cell type, disease severity, and utility in prognostics of the course of SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 outbreaks. The role of interferons in the therapy of these infections is also discussed. Moreover, the kinetics of specific antibody production, the correlation between humoral and cellular immune response and the immunogenicity of the structural HCoVs proteins and their utility in the development of a vaccine against SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 has been updated.

Keywords: COVID-19; MERS; SARS; SARS-CoV-2; immune system.

Figure 1

Characteristics of immune responses in SARS, MERS, and COVID19 disease. Figure 1 presents the main aspects of T cell and humoral responses in human coronaviruses infections. Arrows indicate increased or reduced expression of chosen factors in SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 patients in comparison with controls. Parentheses comprise references for presented data.