Dongyao Wang: Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.
Dong Wang: Institute of Immunology and the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medicine and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.
Min Huang: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, HuaZhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Xiaohu Zheng: Institute of Immunology and the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medicine and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.
Yiqing Shen: Institute of Immunology and the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medicine and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.
Binqing Fu: Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.
Hong Zhao: Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China.
Xianxiang Chen: Department of Tuberculosis, Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital, Wuhan 430030, China.
Peng Peng: Department of Tuberculosis, Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital, Wuhan 430030, China.
Qi Zhu: Department of Tuberculosis, Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital, Wuhan 430030, China.
Yonggang Zhou: Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.
Jinghe Zhang: Institute of Immunology and the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medicine and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.
Zhigang Tian: Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.
Wuxiang Guan: Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China.
Guiqiang Wang: Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China.
Haiming Wei: Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, has become a global public health crisis. Some patients who have recovered from COVID-19 subsequently test positive again for SARS-CoV-2 RNA after discharge from hospital. How such retest-positive (RTP) patients become infected again is not known. In this study, 30 RTP patients, 20 convalescent patients, and 20 healthy controls were enrolled for the analysis of immunological characteristics of their peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We found that absolute numbers of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and natural killer cells were not substantially decreased in RTP patients, but the expression of activation markers on these cells was significantly reduced. The percentage of granzyme B-producing T cells was also lower in RTP patients than in convalescent patients. Through transcriptome sequencing, we demonstrated that high expression of inhibitor of differentiation 1 (ID1) and low expression of interferon-induced transmembrane protein 10 (IFITM10) were associated with insufficient activation of immune cells and the occurrence of RTP. These findings provide insight into the impaired immune function associated with COVID-19 and the pathogenesis of RTP, which may contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying RTP.
