Serum Antibodies Against Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) and Their Relation to Severe COVID-19 infection

Abstract

Background: Acute and chronic SARS-CoV-2 patients experience a  wide range of clinical manifestations, ranging from mild asymptomatic symptoms (colds)  to severe   , often fatal

Aim: The current study aimed to evaluate some immunological variables in patients with COVID-19 for chronic and acute cases

Materials and methods: the study included collecting (120) blood samples from individuals suspected of having respiratory distress syndrome, of both sexes, with ages ranging from 29 years to 60 years, for the period from 15/12/2021 to 20/7/2022 from Nineveh Private Hospital and Ibn Sina Governmental Hospital.  The samples registered in the study were divided after confirming the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection into two groups, the first group included (25) patients suffering from Chronic Respiratory Distress Syndrome and lying in the intensive care unit and needing ventilatory support, the second group included (25) patients who They suffer from moderate symptoms such as  coughing, fever, runny nose with upper respiratory tract infections, pneumonia, and do not need oxygen from an external source. The control sample included (25) blood samples from healthy individuals with ages ranging from 24-52 years and from both Both sexes do not suffer from any transmissible diseases, viral or bacterial infections, or autoimmune diseases. Through the study, some immunological variables were evaluated for the study sample, which included the estimating the phagocytic activity, and at the level of specialized humoral immunity, the level of COVID-19  IgM antibodies was estimated. NETs-IgM, NETs-IgG.

Results:  At the level of humoral immunity, the results showed a significant increase in the levels of COVID-19 IgM and COVID-19 IgG antibodies in patients with chronic cases of COVID-19, compared to both acute patients and the control sample at a significant level of P≤0.05, and a significant increase in the levels of NETs-IgM antibodies in patients with chronic conditions compared to acute cases and the control sample. As for NETs-IgG antibodies, the study recorded a significant increase in its levels in patients with chronic and acute conditions compared to the control sample at a significant level of P≤0.05.