title: Long-term persistence of robust antibody and cytotoxic T cell responses in recovered patients infected with SARS coronavirus.
abstract: Most of the individuals infected with SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) spontaneously recovered without clinical intervention. However, the immunological correlates associated with patients' recovery are currently unknown. In this report, we have sequentially monitored 30 recovered patients over a two-year period to characterize temporal changes in SARS-CoV-specific antibody responses as well as cytotoxic T cell (CTL) responses. We have found persistence of robust antibody and CTL responses in all of the study subjects throughout the study period, with a moderate decline one year after the onset of symptoms. We have also identified two potential major CTL epitopes in N proteins based on ELISPOT analysis of pooled peptides. However, despite the potent immune responses and clinical recovery, peripheral lymphocyte counts in the recovered patients have not yet been restored to normal levels. In summary, our study has, for the first time, characterized the temporal and dynamic changes of humoral and CTL responses in the natural history of SARS-recovered individuals, and strongly supports the notion that high and sustainable levels of immune responses correlate strongly with the disease outcome. Our findings have direct implications for future design and development of effective therapeutic agents and vaccines against SARS-CoV infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Peking Union Medical College Hospital and AIDS Research Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China; Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. litsh@263.net
authors.forename: Taisheng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Yuxian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Hongwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baril
authors.forename: Zhifeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Wenbing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Yanling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Linqi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000086462:Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000086462:Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins