Elevated Soluble ACE2 Activity in Children and Adults After SARS‐CoV‐2 Exposure Irrespective of Laboratory‐Confirmed Infection

Résumé fourni par la source

The pivotal role of the cell entry receptor ACE2 for SARS-CoV-2 infection is well-established. When ACE2 is shed from cell surface into plasma as soluble ACE2 (sACE2), it can effectively neutralize SARS-CoV-2. This longitudinal prospective cohort study analyzed sACE2 activity in 1192 participants, aged 4 months to 81 years, 3 and 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 household exposure. Following SARS-CoV-2 exposure, participants exhibited significantly elevated sACE2 activity, irrespective of confirmed infection, with the highest levels observed in exposed children. Longitudinal analysis revealed a decline in sACE2 levels over time, reaching levels comparable to age- and sex-matched pre-pandemic controls. An increase in sACE2 activity was also confirmed in vitro in Calu-3 (human lung) cells within hours of SARS-CoV-2 exposure, providing a direct link between SARS-CoV-2 exposure and elevated sACE2. This study, therefore, challenges the dichotomy of categorizing SARS-CoV-2 exposed participants as infected or not infected solely on currently established diagnostic assays. It demonstrates lasting host responses independent of B- and T-cell memory and may help to keep SARS-CoV-2 infections in balance and contribute to successful virus clearance in children and adults lacking humoral and cellular immune responses following SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Trial Registration: German Registry for Clinical Studies; Identifier: D 00021521.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.