Immunohaematological profile and ancestry informative markers in individuals with COVID-19

Objective: To evaluate the hematological and lymphocyte profiles of individuals with COVID-19, as well as to identify the ancestral profile through Ancestry Informative Markers from two cities in the Northeast region of Brazil. Methods: Data from 58 individuals with COVID-19 who presented mild (39) and severe (19) clinical conditions were analyzed. The lymphocyte profile was identified by immunophenotyping and genotyping via PCR and qPCR analysis. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics software. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (ICS-UFBA). Results: Individuals in the severe group showed an increase in total leukocytes and neutrophils, and a decrease in erythrocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and lymphocytes compared to individuals in the mild group. Likewise, the severe group showed a decrease in the cellular profiles of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and B lymphocytes. Regarding the ancestral profile, both groups had a greater European ancestral genomic profile. However, the severe group had a higher percentage of African ancestry compared to the mild group. Conclusion: Ancestry was not associated with severity, but the results match findings that individuals' immune responses play a crucial role in COVID-19.