Immunology of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS COV-2): A Review

Abstract

Objectives: A mysterious respiratory disease named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus -2 (SARS CoV-2) broke out in Wuhan, China in  December 2019, and has stimulated a rapid and intense public health response. As at 7th of July, 2020, about 11,516,782 confirmed cases and about 535,453 deaths have been reported across over 187 countries/regions of the world as reported by Johns Hopkins University, Maryland USA. We need to understand the immunologic responses to this infection, so as to be able to properly manage patients, and also hopefully to be able to produce effective vaccines against SARS CoV-2.

Data sources and synthesis: SARS-CoV-2 via virus Spike (S)-protein primarily attaches to the epithelium of the respiratory tract because of its high affinity for the ACE 2 receptor on the epithelium. It gets into the respiratory tract endothelium by means of endocytosis. The mast cells in the sub-mucosa of the respiratory tract form a barrier of protection against the virus. Mast cells get primed when they make contact with the virus, and cytokines are then released. The cytokines, however, play an important role both in its virulence and in the outcome of the viral infection.

Conclusion: Human convalescent serum can be useful for preventing infection and for treating COVID-19 disease. Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 are also being developed, but mainly aimed at developing ELISA and other rapid serodiagnostic reagents for COVID-19. Protein snippets of the Spike  (S) glycoprotein that are immunogenic are being produced in E.coli to be used in the vaccineproduction process.