ІMMUNOGLOBULIN ISOTYPES AND BLOOD MONOCYTE SUBPOPULATIONS IN COVID-19 FEMALE PATIENTS WITH DIFFERENT DISEASE SEVERITY

Abstract

COVID-19 disease, an acute respiratory infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, manifests itself in various severity forms - mild, moderate and severe, caused by the reactions of the patient's immune response. Aim. To evaluate the serum levels of immunoglobulins G, M, and A and the number of circulating monocytes of different phenotypes in female patients with the abovementioned forms of COVID-19 severity. Methods. Blood samples of 53 women with SARS-CoV-2 infection were studied. Flow cytofluorimetry was used to estimate monocyte subpopulations by the expression of CD14 and CD16. Concentrations of IgM, IgG, and IgA in the serum were determined in radial immunodiffusion test according to Mancini. Results. The relative number of non-classical monocytes with CD14+-CD16++ phenotype was significantly decreased in the blood of COVID-19 patients from all 3 clinical severity groups, while changes in the number of classical and intermediate monocytes were insignificant. The levels of IgA in COVID-19 patients significantly decreased after recovery as compared to the acute phase of the infection. Conclusion. The results emphasize the importance of monocyte subpopulation analysis in COVID-19 diagnosis and indicate dynamic changes in IgA levels depending on disease severity. The research data may help in the development of new diagnosis methods and therapy for SARS-CoV-2 infection.