Usefulness of the New Hematological Parameter: Reactive Lymphocytes RE-LYMP with Flow Cytometry Markers of Inflammation in COVID-19

• Published in: Cells (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2021-01, Vol.10 (1), p.82
• Main Authors: Rutkowska, Elżbieta, Kwiecień, Iwona, Kulik, Katarzyna, Chełstowska, Beata, Kłos, Krzysztof, Rzepecki, Piotr, Chciałowski, Andrzej
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biomarkers - blood; Case-Control Studies; CD25; CD25 antigen; CD38 antigen; CD4 antigen; CD45RO; Cell activation; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - immunology; Female; Flow Cytometry; Histocompatibility antigen HLA; HLA-DR; Humans; Immune system; Immunophenotyping; Inflammation; Inflammation - immunology; Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Male; Middle Aged; Pandemics; reactive lymphocytes; Viruses
• ISSN: 2073-4409; 2073-4409
• DOI: 10.3390/cells10010082

Identification of patients with activation of the immune system which indicates the presence of infection is essential, especially in the times of the global coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reactive lymphocytes (RE-LYMP) parameter in COVID-19 and to correlate it with activation lymphocytes markers by flow cytometry. The study group consisted of 40 patients: with COVID-19 infection ( = 20) and with others virus infections without COVID-19 (COVID-19(-) virus ( = 20)) and 20 healthy donors (HC). Blood count and flow cytometry were performed. The COVID-19(+) group had significantly lower RE-LYMP parameter than the COVID-19(-) virus group (5.45 vs. 11.05, < 0.05). We observed higher proportion of plasmablasts in the COVID-19(+) and COVID-19(-) virus groups than HC (8.8 vs. 11.1 vs. 2.7, < 0.05). In the COVID-19(+) there was a lower proportion of CD4+ CD38+ cells than in the other groups (significant differences between COVID-19(+) and COVID-19(-) virus groups). RE-LYMP correlated with activated T lymphocytes CD38+ and HLA-DR+ in the COVID-19(-) virus group, however in the COVID-19(+) group correlations with T lymphocytes CD25+ and CD45RO+ were observed. In summary the analysis of the RE-LYMP together with flow cytometric activation markers can be helpful in identifying and distinguishing patients with COVID-19(+) from other viruses and HC.