In a recent study posted to bioRxiv preprint* server, researchers showed that transfer of immunoglobulin G (IgG) from long COVID patients causes symptoms in mice. Evidence suggests that over 10% of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors experience persistent symptoms beyond 12 weeks after recovery. This condition is known as long COVID-19 or post-COVID syndrome.
However, its underlying pathophysiology is unclear. Several mechanisms have been proposed, linking long COVID symptoms to neuroinflammation, dysbiosis, dysregulated interferon response, cellular metabolism, and autoimmunity. Studies indicate that autoimmunity is induced in acute and post-acute COVID-19.
Long COVID-related autoantibodies bind to neurotransmitters, chemokines, G protein-coupled receptors, and immunomodulators. Clinical improvement in long COVID is likely associated with reduced autoantibodies. However, whether autoantibodies (actively) contribute to long COVID symptoms is unknown.
Study: Transfer of IgG from Long COVID patients induces symptomology in mice . Image Credit: Juan Gaertner / Shutterstock *Important notice: bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. In the present study, researchers evaluated the role of autoantibodies in long COVID pathogenesis.
They included long COVID-19 patients aged 18–65 attending a post-.
