Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Reveals Alterations in Patient Immune Cells with Pulmonary Long COVID-19 Complications

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of SARS-CoV-2 have been extensively researched. While much is already known about the acute phase of the infection, increasing attention has turned to the prolonged symptoms experienced by a subset of individuals, commonly referred to as long COVID-19 patients. This study aims to delve deeper into the immune landscape of patients with prolonged symptoms by implementing single-cell mRNA analysis.

A 71-year-old COVID-19 patient presenting with persistent viral pneumonia was recruited, and peripheral blood samples were taken at 3 and 2 years post-acute infection onset. Patients and control peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and single-cell sequenced. Immune cell population identification was carried out using the ScType script.

Three months post-COVID-19 patients’ PBMCs contained a significantly larger immature neutrophil population compared to 2-year and control samples. However, the neutrophil balance shifted towards a more mature profile after 18 months. In addition, a notable increase in the CD8+ NKT-like cells could be observed in the 3-month patient sample as compared to the later one and control. The subsequent change in these cell populations over time may be an indicator of an ongoing failure to clear the SARS-CoV-2 infection and, thus, lead to chronic COVID-19 complications.