Pre-existing Autoantibodies Neutralizing High Concentrations of Type I Interferons in Almost 10% of COVID-19 Patients Admitted to Intensive Care in Barcelona

• Published in: Journal of clinical immunology 2021-11, Vol.41 (8), p.1733-1744
• Main Authors: Solanich, Xavier, Rigo-Bonnin, Raúl, Gumucio, Victor-David, Bastard, Paul, Rosain, Jérémie, Philippot, Quentin, Perez-Fernandez, Xosé-Luis, Fuset-Cabanes, Maria-Paz, Gordillo-Benitez, Miguel-Ángel, Suarez-Cuartin, Guillermo, Boza-Hernandez, Enric, Riera-Mestre, Antoni, Parra-Martínez, Alba, Colobran, Roger, Antolí, Arnau, Navarro, Sergio, Rocamora-Blanch, Gemma, Framil, Mario, Calatayud, Laura, Corbella, Xavier, Casanova, Jean-Laurent, Morandeira, Francisco, Sabater-Riera, Joan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Antibodies, Neutralizing - blood; Autoantibodies - blood; COVID-19 - immunology; Female; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Interferon Type I - immunology; Male; Middle Aged; Original; Retrospective Studies; SARS-CoV-2
• ISSN: 0271-9142; 1573-2592
• DOI: 10.1007/s10875-021-01136-x

It is important to predict which patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 are at higher risk of life-threatening COVID-19. Several studies suggest that neutralizing auto-antibodies (auto-Abs) against type I interferons (IFNs) are predictive of critical COVID-19 pneumonia. We aimed to test for auto-Abs to type I IFN and describe the main characteristics of COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care depending on whether or not these auto-Abs are present. Retrospective analysis of all COVID-19 patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) in whom samples were available, from March 2020 to March 2021, in Barcelona, Spain. A total of 275 (70.5%) out of 390 patients admitted to ICU were tested for type I IFNs auto-antibodies (α2 and/or ω) by ELISA, being positive in 49 (17.8%) of them. Blocking activity of plasma diluted 1/10 for high concentrations (10 ng/mL) of IFNs was proven in 26 (9.5%) patients. Almost all the patients with neutralizing auto-Abs were men (92.3%). ICU patients with positive results for neutralizing IFNs auto-Abs did not show relevant differences in demographic, comorbidities, clinical features, and mortality, when compared with those with negative results. Nevertheless, some laboratory tests (leukocytosis, neutrophilia, thrombocytosis) related with COVID-19 severity, as well as acute kidney injury (17 [65.4%] vs. 100 [40.2%]; p = 0.013) were significantly higher in patients with auto-Abs. Auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations of type I IFNs were found in 9.5% of patients admitted to the ICU for COVID-19 pneumonia in a hospital in Barcelona. These auto-Abs should be tested early upon diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, as they account for a significant proportion of life-threatening cases.