Prevalence and association of type I IFN autoantibodies with clinical outcomes in critically ill Brazilian COVID-19 patients
Anti-type I interferon (IFN) autoantibodies (auto-Abs) impair antiviral immunity and have been associated with critical COVID-19. However, their prevalence and impact in Latin American populations remain incompletely delineated. This study assessed the prevalence of auto-Abs neutralizing 10 ng/mL IFN-α2 and IFN-ω in critically ill COVID-19 patients from a Brazilian cohort and their association with clinical outcomes. Among 209 patients, 14 (6.7%) tested positive, including 9.4% of deceased individuals. The proportion was 13.2% in patients older than 65 years. These individuals exhibited increased MIP-1β levels, altered hematological parameters, and low IFN-α levels. Survival analysis indicated shorter hospitalization survival times in auto-Ab-positive patients (log-rank = 0.01). The prevalence aligns with global reports, predominantly affecting older individuals. Our findings highlight the association between type I IFN auto-Abs and worse clinical outcomes, emphasizing the need for further studies to understand their biological role and clinical implications.
Authors
- Carlos Dornels Freire de Souza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7995-1893)
- Thiago M. Cunha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1084-0065)
- Rodrigo Feliciano do Carmo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9601-6995)
- Lorena Viana de Andrade (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3153-354X)
- Pablo Rafael Silveira Oliveira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9541-3737)
- Adrian Gervais (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1083-5787)
- Jean‐Laurent Casanova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7782-4169)
- Isadora Marques Paiva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2741-150X)
- Anderson da Costa Armstrong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3161-8922)
- Ricardo Khouri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5664-4436)
- Luydson Richardson Silva Vasconcelos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1625-3358)
- Graziela Parente Peduti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9494-7427)
- Beatriz Vaconcelos
Institutions
- Universidade Federal da Bahia (BR)
- Universidade de Ribeirão Preto (BR)
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- Inserm (FR)
- Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (FR)
- Pediatrics and Genetics (US)
- Clinics Hospital of Ribeirão Preto (BR)
- Institut des Maladies Génétiques Imagine (FR)
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (BR)
- Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (BR)
- Rockefeller University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Human Immunity
- Published
- 2025-06-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.70962/jhi.20250031
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.40