Does common cold coronavirus infection protect against severe SARS-CoV-2 disease?

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to cause morbidity and mortality. Since SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the cause for COVID-19, some have questioned whether exposure to seasonal common cold coronaviruses (CCCs) could provide tangible protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection or disease. In this issue of the JCI, Sagar et al. examined SARS-CoV-2 infections and outcomes of patients who had previously tested positive or negative for CCC infection (CCC+ or CCC-) by a comprehensive respiratory panel using PCR. No differences were seen between groups in terms of susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, hospitalized patients with a documented history of CCC infection had lower rates of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and higher rates of survival than hospitalized CCC- patients. While these findings are associative and not causative, they highlight evidence suggesting that previous CCC infection may influence the disease course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Figure 1. Exposure to common cold coronavirus (CCC) infection may influence the disease course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Sagar et al. (8) grouped COVID-19 patients according to documented infection with common cold coronavirus (CCC^– and CCC⁺). Patients with subsequent SARS-CoV-2⁺ infection were studied to determine whether CCC exposure influenced SARS-CoV-2 disease severity. Previous CCC⁺ diagnosis was associated with reduced ICU admissions and death in hospitalized patients.