COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 update from Immunopaedia.org.za
Disclaimer: This is a summary of an article that is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed.
A common theme in COVID-19 patients with severe disease is the rampant and out of control inflammatory signals. The vexing question is why some people respond like this and others do not. In a recent pre-peer manuscript, a study examined 10 terminally-ill, critical COVID-19 patients treated with to identify which cytokines and potential therapies could be applied to prevent this cytokine release syndrome (CRS). The authors report that these patients all had elevated IL-6 and CCL5 (RANTES), decreased CD8+ T cell levels, and SARS-CoV-2 plasma viremia. When patients were treated with a CCR5 blocking antibody (leronlimab), there was rapid reduction in plasma IL-6 and a significant decrease in SARS-CoV-2 plasma viremia. When they examined transcriptomic signatures in the myeloid compartment, using single-cell RNA-sequencing, they identified a reduction in IL-6 and Interferon-Related Genes. The authors conclude that “ These results demonstrate a novel approach to resolving unchecked inflammation………. via disruption of the CCL5-CCR5 axis…..”
Journal Article: Patterson et al., (Pre-Print). Disruption of the CCL5/RANTES-CCR5 Pathway Restores Immune Homeostasis and Reduces Plasma Viral Load in Critical COVID-19. MedRxiv