Robust T and B cell activation is associated with rapid clearance of infectious SARS-CoV-2
- 1University of California, San Francisco
Abstract
The immunologic correlates of rapid clearance of SARS-CoV-2 shedding are not well understood, partly due to challenges of collecting samples early after infection and the fact that most studies do not measure infectious virus. Here, we performed mass cytometry profiling of peripheral blood cells collected from people 4-6 days after onset of symptoms from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection who underwent daily nasopharyngeal testing for SARS-CoV-2 culture positivity. We identified broad and coordinated activation of innate and adaptive immune cells in unvaccinated individuals with primary infection. Faster clearance of infectious virus shedding was associated with robust adaptive immune cell activation and proliferation, namely among cytotoxic CD8+, CD4+, and {gamma}{delta} T cells and plasmablasts. In contrast, vaccinated individuals who rapidly cleared breakthrough infection showed minimal cellular immune activation. Our findings identify early immune correlates of rapid clearance of infectious SARS-CoV-2 shedding that may inform future prevention and therapeutic approaches to reduce disease burden and transmission.
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BibTeX
@misc{zemelko2026robust,
title = {{Robust T and B cell activation is associated with rapid clearance of infectious SARS-CoV-2}},
author = {L. Zemelko and R. Tiburcio and Y. Y. Wang and C. M. Constantz and G. M. Borgo and W. Chen and M. H. Spitzer and K. A. Anglin and S. Lu and S. A. Goldberg and M. Tassetto and M. A. Garcia-Knight and S. G. Deeks and R. Andino and J. N. Martin and P. W. Hunt and M. J. Peluso and J. D. Kelly and A. N. Deitchman and R. L. Rutishauser},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.64898/2026.11.04.763820},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.04.763820v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Robust T and B cell activation is associated with rapid clearance of infectious SARS-CoV-2
AU - L. Zemelko
AU - R. Tiburcio
AU - Y. Y. Wang
AU - C. M. Constantz
AU - G. M. Borgo
AU - W. Chen
AU - M. H. Spitzer
AU - K. A. Anglin
AU - S. Lu
AU - S. A. Goldberg
AU - M. Tassetto
AU - M. A. Garcia-Knight
AU - S. G. Deeks
AU - R. Andino
AU - J. N. Martin
AU - P. W. Hunt
AU - M. J. Peluso
AU - J. D. Kelly
AU - A. N. Deitchman
AU - R. L. Rutishauser
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.11.04.763820
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.04.763820v1
AB - The immunologic correlates of rapid clearance of SARS-CoV-2 shedding are not well understood, partly due to challenges of collecting samples early after infection and the fact that most studies do not measure infectious virus. Here, we performed mass cytometry profiling of peripheral blood cells collected from people 4-6 days after onset of symptoms from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection who underwent daily nasopharyngeal testing for SARS-CoV-2 culture positivity. We identified broad and coordinated activation of innate and adaptive immune cells in unvaccinated individuals with primary infection. Faster clearance of infectious virus shedding was associated with robust adaptive immune cell activation and proliferation, namely among cytotoxic CD8+, CD4+, and {gamma}{delta} T cells and plasmablasts. In contrast, vaccinated individuals who rapidly cleared breakthrough infection showed minimal cellular immune activation. Our findings identify early immune correlates of rapid clearance of infectious SARS-CoV-2 shedding that may inform future prevention and therapeutic approaches to reduce disease burden and transmission.
ER -