Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Epublish
PubMed: 40284924 DOI: 10.3390/v17040481
The Clinical and Laboratory Landscape of COVID-19 During the Initial Period of the Pandemic and at the Beginning of the Omicron Era.
Viruses 17(4)
Authors: Yulia A Desheva, Tamara N Shvedova, Olga S Kopteva, Danila S Guzenkov, Polina A Kudar, Tatiana S Kotomina, Daria S Petrachkova, Elena P Grigorieva, Anna A Lerner, Stanislav V Ponkratov
Affiliations
- Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution 'Institute of Experimental Medicine', 12, Acad. Pavlov Street, 197022 Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
- Medical Institute, St Petersburg University, 21st Line, bldg. 8a, 199034 Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
- Vsevolozhsk Clinical Interdistrict Hospital, 20, Koltushskoe Highway, Leningrad Region, 188643 Arkhangelsk, Russia.
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, Biological and General Chemistry, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education North-West State Medical University, 191015 Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) underwent significant mutations, resulting in the Omicron variant.
METHODS
In this study, we analyzed blood samples from 98 patients with acute coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) hospitalized during the initial SARS-CoV-2 wave and the onset of Omicron in 2021. High-resolution melting (HRM) analysis of PCR products was used to analyze RNA extracted from clinical samples collected in July and November 2021 from patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.
RESULTS
HRM analysis revealed a characteristic deletion in the N protein RNA of the virus isolated in November 2021, associated with the Omicron variant. Elevated levels of inflammatory markers and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were observed in both waves of COVID-19. Complement levels and IgG and IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were detected more often during the second wave. An increase in hemagglutinin-inhibiting (HI) antibodies against influenza viruses was observed in paired blood specimens from moderate to severe COVID-19 patients during both outbreaks.
CONCLUSIONS
Patients admitted during both waves of COVID-19 showed a significant rise in inflammatory markers, suggesting that Omicron triggers inflammatory responses. The rapid formation of IgM and IgG in Omicron may indicate a faster immune response. Seasonal flu may negatively impact the clinical course of coronavirus infections.
MeSH
Coronavirus, Sars-Cov-2, Laboratories, Blood, Antibodies, Virology, Interleukin-6, Covid-19, Viruses, Pandemics