SARS-CoV-2: the functional and dysfunctional immune response
October 17, 2022
Pandemic results in immunological research on SARS-CoV-2
In 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, spread rapidly, leading to considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. High infectivity of the virus, asymptomatic transmission and lack of effective anti-viral drugs and vaccines made management of COVID-19 challenging in the beginning.
Continuous efforts to understand the human immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the pathogenesis of this disease may help shed light on the development of therapeutic strategies to better control this ongoing global pandemic.
Immune response to SARS-CoV-2
In early stage of SARS-CoV-2 infection, a collaborative innate and adaptive immune response is required to clear the virus and prevent disease progression to the severe stage1. During the severe stage of COVID-19, different immune cell types may reach a dysfunctional and exhausted status therefore failing to control virus replication2.
The pathobiology of severe cases of COVID-19 is characterised by an increased production of inflammatory cytokines with an influx of immune cells into the lungs, possibly resulting in tissue damage and respiratory failure2.
COVID-19: snapshot of the immune response poster
We have produced a colourful poster on the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 for you. It is divided into three sections: the functional immune response, the pathobiology of SARS-CoV-2 and the dysfunctional immune response.
Through detailed graphics, this poster will give you an in-depth understanding of:
- The viral structure of SARS-CoV-2 and immunopathology in different stages of infection
- Immune cell types and signaling molecules involved in the response to SARS-CoV-2 infection
- Differences between the functional and dysfunctional immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection
The information on COVID-19 presented in this poster is relevant as of June 2020 and has not been updated since then.
