Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 11, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancing Immune Monitoring in Critical Care Patients Using Whole Blood Assays
Published on: September 20, 2024
Severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection is linked to double-negative (CD27- IgD-) B cell subset numbers
Rodrigo Cervantes-Díaz1,2, Víctor Andrés Sosa-Hernández1,3, Jiram Torres-Ruíz4,5
1Red de Apoyo a la Investigación, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México e Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico.
Objectives:
The role of B cells in COVID-19, beyond the production of specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, is still not well understood. Here, we describe the novel landscape of circulating double-negative (DN) CD27- IgD- B cells in COVID-19 patients, representing a group of atypical and neglected subpopulations of this cell lineage.
Methods:
Using multiparametric flow cytometry, we determined DN B cell subset amounts from 91 COVID-19 patients, correlated those with cytokines, clinical and laboratory parameters, and segregated them by principal components analysis.
Results:
We detected significant increments in the DN2 and DN3 B cell subsets, while we found a relevant decrease in the DN1 B cell subpopulation, according to disease severity and patient outcomes. These DN cell numbers also appeared to correlate with pro- or anti-inflammatory signatures, respectively, and contributed to the segregation of the patients into disease severity groups.
Conclusion:
This study provides insights into DN B cell subsets' potential role in immune responses against SARS-CoV-2, particularly linked to the severity of COVID-19.
