Absence of Type I Interferon Autoantibodies or Significant Interferon Signature Alterations in Adults With Post-COVID-19 Syndrome

Achleitner, Martin; Mair, Nina K; Dänhardt, Juliane; Kardashi, Romina; Puhan, Milo A; Abela, Irene A; Toepfner, Nicole; de With, Katja; Kanczkowski, Waldemar; Jarzebska, Natalia; Rodionov, Roman N; Wolf, Christine; Lee-Kirsch, Min Ae; Steenblock, Charlotte; Hale, Benjamin G; Bornstein, Stefan R

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofad641

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Achleitner, M., Mair, N. K., Dänhardt, J., Kardashi, R., Puhan, M. A., Abela, I. A., Toepfner, N., de With, K., Kanczkowski, W., Jarzebska, N., Rodionov, R. N., Wolf, C., Lee-Kirsch, M. A., Steenblock, C., Hale, B. G., & Bornstein, S. R. (2024). Absence of Type I Interferon Autoantibodies or Significant Interferon Signature Alterations in Adults With Post-COVID-19 Syndrome. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 11(1), ofad641. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofad641

Abstract

Genetic defects in the interferon (IFN) system or neutralizing autoantibodies against type I IFNs contribute to severe COVID-19. Such autoantibodies were proposed to affect post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS), possibly causing persistent fatigue for >12 weeks after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the current study, we investigated 128 patients with PCS, 21 survivors of severe COVID-19, and 38 individuals who were asymptomatic. We checked for autoantibodies against IFN-α, IFN-β, and IFN-ω. Few patients with PCS had autoantibodies against I