Immunopathology of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection

Abstract

AFTER SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic that started in 2019, it has been observed that the vast majority of people have a mild clinical picture or are completely asymptomatic. However, around 15% of affected people will have a severe, potentially fatal clinical course associated with hyperinflammation, similar to the macrophage activation syndromes. Individuals with mild clinical COVID-19 have an efficient innate immune response and an adaptive response that kills virus-infected cells leaving immune memory. Severe symptoms occur in individuals with proinflammatory stages who have a late innate immune response, hyperinflammation and “cytokine storm” phenomenon induced by the innate immune system and associated with defects in adaptive immunity.