Does Diminished Nasopharyngeal Antiviral Immunity Precede Severe COVID-19?

Preliminary impairment of intrinsic nasal epithelial cell immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 appears to set the stage for progression to severe disease.

SARS-CoV-2 infection has effects ranging from asymptomatic viral shedding to mild upper respiratory illness or severe COVID-19. Understanding the protective mechanisms leading to rapid viral clearance by most people infected with SARS-CoV-2 should help focus prophylactic and therapeutic resources on the minority of patients at excess risk for severe and critical illness.

Ziegler and colleagues assessed 58 nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs from a single U.S. medical center. Samples came from 35 individuals with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR on hospital presentation, 15 asymptomatic individuals with negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR, 6 individuals on mechanical ventilation and negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR, and 2 convalescing individuals with recent COVID-19 and negative S…

Reviewing Author

George Sakoulas, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParatek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.; AbbVie; Shionogi

Speaker’s BureauAllergan/AbbVie; Paratek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsAntimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; Open Forum Infectious Diseases