The Immune Cells and Its Link to COVID-19

Abstract

Archana Tripathy

World health organization has declared SARS-CoV-2 infection as a worldwide pandemic on March 11, 2020 and it is continuously affecting public health throughout the globe. The disease progresses from mild symptoms to a pneumonia like condition with severe inflammation of the respiratory tract due to cytokine release or cytokine storm that is the major characteristic of this disease. T cells numbers decrease and become exhausted in COVID positive patients this might be due to excessive amount of IL 10, IL 6, and TNFα. CD8+T cells and NK cells have showed functional impairment on differentiation, maturation and adequate amount cytokine production which lead to compromise the host immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection. IFNƳ behaves as a protective cytokine at early or recovery stages and at severe stage, it acts as more pathogenic by inducing anti-viral responses. This review has summarized the current states of immune responses regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection. It might be helpful on offering new understandings and therapeutic approaches for COVID-19.

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