Immunological response in COVID-19 positive patients: case series

Prasobhan BK¹*, Adiratna Mat Ripen¹, Suresh Kumar C², Masita Arip¹

1. Allergy & Immunology Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Setia Alam, 40170 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

2. Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Ministry of Health Malaysia, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia.

*Corresponding author: Prasobhan Bala Krishnan, Allergy & Immunology Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Setia Alam, 40170 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CITATION: BK P, Mat Ripen A, Kumar C S, Arip M. Immunological response in COVID-19 positive patients: case series. International Medical Research Journal. 2022 Jun;8(1):97–101. 

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ABSTRACT
This is a case series involving eight positive COVID-19 patients in different clinical stages, highlighting their immunological response assessed through lymphocyte subset enumeration and serum immunoglobulin using flow cytometry and turbidimetry, respectively. The aim of this study is to determine the role of lymphocytes and immunoglobulins in relation to the clinical outcome of COVID-19 infection. The majority of the patients (75%) showed a significant reduction in the total T lymphocytes and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In contrast, only one patient showed a reduction in total B lymphocytes and NK cells. The serum immunoglobulin levels were unremarkable. The CD8+ T cell lymphopenia was a notable feature that was potentiated to be a significant clinical outcome predictor for COVID-19 infection.

KEYWORDS: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Lymphopenia, Immune Response, CD8+ T Cells