Abstract

Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) of the joints, gut and skin are treated with inhibitors of inflammatory cytokines. These cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Investigating anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses in IMIDs we observe a reduced incidence of SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in IMID patients treated with cytokine inhibitors compared to patients receiving no such inhibitors and two healthy control populations, despite similar social exposure. Hence, cytokine inhibitors seem to at least partially protect from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Cytokine storm seems to be a common feature of severe COVID-19 pathology. Here, the authors show a reduced rate of SARS-CoV2 positivity in a large population of patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases if they are already being treated with cytokine or JAK inhibitors, indicating these treatments are safe to continue and are possibly protective against COVID19.

Details

Title
Patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases receiving cytokine inhibitors have low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion
Author
Simon, David 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Tascilar Koray 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Krönke Gerhard 1 ; Kleyer Arnd 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Zaiss, Mario M 1 ; Heppt Franz 2 ; Meder, Christine 2 ; Atreya Raja 3 ; Entcho, Klenske 3 ; Dietrich, Peter 4 ; Abdullah, Abdullah 3 ; Kliem Thorsten 3 ; Corte Giulia 1 ; Morf Harriet 1 ; Leppkes Moritz 3 ; Kremer, Andreas E 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ramming, Andreas 1 ; Pachowsky Milena 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Schuch Florian 6 ; Ronneberger Monika 6 ; Kleinert, Stefan 6 ; Maier, Clara 7 ; Hueber, Axel J 8 ; Manger, Karin 9 ; Manger Bernhard 1 ; Berking Carola 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Tenbusch Matthias 7 ; Überla Klaus 7 ; Sticherling, Michael 2 ; Neurath, Markus F 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Schett Georg 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

1  Friedrich-Alexander University (FAU) Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Department of Internal Medicine 3, Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.5330.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 2107 3311); FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Deutsches Zentrum fuer Immuntherapie (DZI), Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.411668.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9935 6525) 
2  FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Deutsches Zentrum fuer Immuntherapie (DZI), Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.411668.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9935 6525); FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Department of Dermatology, Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.411668.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9935 6525) 
3  FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Deutsches Zentrum fuer Immuntherapie (DZI), Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.411668.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9935 6525); FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Department of Internal Medicine 1, Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.411668.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9935 6525) 
4  FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Deutsches Zentrum fuer Immuntherapie (DZI), Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.411668.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9935 6525); FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Department of Internal Medicine 1, Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.411668.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9935 6525); FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, Institute of Biochemistry, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.5330.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 2107 3311) 
5  Friedrich-Alexander University (FAU) Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Department of Internal Medicine 3, Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.5330.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 2107 3311); FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Deutsches Zentrum fuer Immuntherapie (DZI), Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.411668.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9935 6525); FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Department of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.411668.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9935 6525) 
6  Rheumatology Clinical Practice Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.411668.c) 
7  FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.411668.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9935 6525) 
8  Friedrich-Alexander University (FAU) Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Department of Internal Medicine 3, Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.5330.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 2107 3311); FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Deutsches Zentrum fuer Immuntherapie (DZI), Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.411668.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9935 6525); Sozialstiftung Bamberg, Rheumatology Section, Bamberg, Germany (GRID:grid.419802.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 0617 3250) 
9  Rheumatology Practice Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany (GRID:grid.419802.6) 
Publication year
2020
Publication date
2020
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17703-6
ProQuest document ID
2426704969
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.