Top 25 COVID-19 Articles of 2022

Top 25 Articles

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  Age and sex-specific risks of myocarditis and pericarditis following Covid-19 messenger RNA vaccines

  There have been reports of myocarditis and pericarditis following mRNA COVID-9 vaccination. Here, the authors use nationwide data from France and find increased risks of these outcomes in the first week following vaccination, for both the first and second dose, and present age- and sex-specific rates.

  • Stéphane Le Vu
  • Marion Bertrand
  • Mahmoud Zureik

  ArticleOpen Access25 Jun 2022 Nature Communications
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  Transcriptional reprogramming from innate immune functions to a pro-thrombotic signature by monocytes in COVID-19

  Although myeloid cell dysfunction has been observed in COVID-19, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, the authors demonstrate that monocytes from patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 show a blunted innate immune response and a pro-thrombotic signature following secondary SARS-CoV-2 challenge.

  • Allison K. Maher
  • Katie L. Burnham
  • Margarita Dominguez-Villar

  ArticleOpen Access26 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  SARS-CoV-2 vaccination induces mucosal antibody responses in previously infected individuals

  Prior exposure to infectious agents can impact the vaccination induced immune response. Here the authors show prior SARS-CoV-2 infection results in more efficient induction of mucosal SARS-CoV-2 secretory IgA antibody following mRNA vaccination.

  • Kaori Sano
  • Disha Bhavsar
  • Florian Krammer

  ArticleOpen Access1 Sep 2022 Nature Communications
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  Viral load dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variants following multiple vaccine doses and previous infection

  COVID vaccination can reduce virus levels in breakthrough infections, which in turn may reduce transmission of the virus. By using qRT-PCR cycle threshold as a surrogate of virus levels, the authors here show that this positive effect of vaccination wanes relatively quickly for Omicron breakthrough infection.

  • Yonatan Woodbridge
  • Sharon Amit
  • Naama M. Kopelman

  ArticleOpen Access7 Nov 2022 Nature Communications
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  Variant-specific symptoms of COVID-19 in a study of 1,542,510 adults in England

  In this study, the authors assess changing symptom profiles associated with different SARS-CoV-2 variants from May 2020 to March 2022 in England. Using data from the REACT-1 study, they find that Omicron infection is more often associated with cold and influenza-like symptoms, and less with loss of taste and smell.

  • Matthew Whitaker
  • Joshua Elliott
  • Paul Elliott

  ArticleOpen Access11 Nov 2022 Nature Communications
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  COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccine induces transient CD8+ T effector cell responses while conserving the memory pool for subsequent reactivation

  Vaccines induce beneficial immunity for COVID-19, but immune waning prompts boosting vaccination. Here, the authors show that a third, boosting dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine induces transient CD8 + T effector cell response while conserving the CD8 memory T cell pool, thereby permitting reactivation of spike-specific CD8 + T cells upon breakthrough infection or 4th vaccination.

  • Matthias Reinscheid
  • Hendrik Luxenburger
  • Maike Hofmann

  ArticleOpen Access8 Aug 2022 Nature Communications

• Outcomes among confirmed cases and a matched comparison group in the Long-COVID in Scotland study

  In this population-based cohort study from Scotland, the authors investigate the prevalence of symptoms in the post-acute phase of COVID-19 infection compared to matched uninfected controls. They identify persistent symptoms associated with infection and identify factors associated with failure to recover.

  • Claire E. Hastie
  • David J. Lowe
  • Jill P. Pell

  ArticleOpen Access12 Oct 2022 Nature Communications
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  Viral infection and transmission in a large, well-traced outbreak caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant

  The SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant has spread rapidly worldwide. Here, the authors characterise a single chain of transmission of Delta in China, and find evidence that it is more infectious and replicates faster during early infection compared to early pandemic lineages.

  • Baisheng Li
  • Aiping Deng
  • Jing Lu

  ArticleOpen Access24 Jan 2022 Nature Communications
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  Cross-reactive memory T cells associate with protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in COVID-19 contacts

  While cross-reactive immunity between human coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to host protection, validating evidences are still scarce. Here the authors assess a cohort of 52 donors with immediate-early contact with SARS-CoV-2 to correlate higher frequency of cross-reactive T cells with lower infection rate.

  • Rhia Kundu
  • Janakan Sam Narean
  • Ajit Lalvani

  ArticleOpen Access10 Jan 2022 Nature Communications
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  Post-covid medical complaints following infection with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron vs Delta variants

  The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is associated with less severe disease but less is known about variant-specific risk of long-term complaints. Monitoring 1.3 million individuals from Norway for post-acute COVID-19 complaints up to 126 days shows that the burden is similar for Omicron and Delta for most complaints except for musculoskeletal pain.

  • Karin Magnusson
  • Doris Tove Kristoffersen
  • Jonas Minet Kinge

  ArticleOpen Access30 Nov 2022 Nature Communications
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  Gut microbiome dysbiosis in antibiotic-treated COVID-19 patients is associated with microbial translocation and bacteremia

  Here, the authors show that SARS-CoV-2 infection causes gut microbiome dysbiosis and gut epithelial cell alterations in a mouse model, and correlate dysbiosis observed in COVID-19 patients with blood stream infections, matching reads of bacterial sequences from stool samples to organisms found in the blood.

  • Lucie Bernard-Raichon
  • Mericien Venzon
  • Jonas Schluter

  ArticleOpen Access1 Nov 2022 Nature Communications
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  Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against Omicron and Delta hospitalisation, a test negative case-control study

  SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern have been associated with reduced vaccine effectiveness, even after a booster dose. In this study, authors aim to estimate vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation with the Omicron and Delta variants, using different definitions of hospitalisation in secondary care data.

  • Julia Stowe
  • Nick Andrews
  • Jamie Lopez Bernal

  ArticleOpen Access30 Sep 2022 Nature Communications
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  Levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among fully vaccinated individuals with Delta or Omicron variant breakthrough infections

  The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is associated with high rates of vaccine breakthrough infections, but the immunological basis for this is not well characterised. Here, the authors show that increased anti-Spike IgG antibody levels are associated with a reduced risk of infection with the Delta variant, but not with Omicron.

  • Nina Breinholt Stærke
  • Joanne Reekie
  • Ole Schmeltz Søgaard

  ArticleOpen Access1 Aug 2022 Nature Communications
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  Spike-antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccination by demographic and clinical factors in a prospective community cohort study

  Vaccination can provide reliable and long-lasting protection against COVID-19, however the immune response to vaccination can vary between individuals and can decline over time, leading to differences in protective effects. Here the authors assess the immune response to COVID-19 vaccination across a large cohort of previously uninfected adults and demonstrate lower post-vaccination antibody levels amongst those with immune-suppressing conditions and medications, as well as those with several other more common chronic conditions.

  • Madhumita Shrotri
  • Ellen Fragaszy
  • Robert W. Aldridge

  ArticleOpen Access2 Oct 2022 Nature Communications
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  Neuropathology and virus in brain of SARS-CoV-2 infected non-human primates

  COVID-19 can result in neurological manifestations and animal models could provide insights into the mechanisms. Here, the authors describe neuroinflammation, microhemorrhages and brain hypoxia in SARS-CoV-2 infected non-human primates, including in animals that don’t develop severe respiratory disease.

  • Ibolya Rutkai
  • Meredith G. Mayer
  • Tracy Fischer

  ArticleOpen Access1 Apr 2022 Nature Communications
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  Immunoglobulin signature predicts risk of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome

  Studying a prospective cohort, the authors develop and validate a predictive score for post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, also known as long-COVID. This score relies on an immunoglobulin signature and is independent of timepoint of blood sampling.

  • Carlo Cervia
  • Yves Zurbuchen
  • Onur Boyman

  ArticleOpen Access25 Jan 2022 Nature Communications
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  SARS CoV-2 mRNA vaccination exposes latent HIV to Nef-specific CD8⁺ T-cells

  Here, the authors show in a cohort of people with HIV, COVID mRNA vaccination is followed by a transient boost in a particular profile of HIV-specific T-cell responses and a corresponding decrease in residual HIV RNA – suggesting productive immune engagement with infected cells.

  • Eva M. Stevenson
  • Sandra Terry
  • R. Brad Jones

  ArticleOpen Access19 Aug 2022 Nature Communications
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  Accelerated biological aging in COVID-19 patients

  Age is a risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease. Here the authors perform DNA methylation analyses in whole blood from COVID-19 patients using established epigenetic clocks and telomere length estimators, and describing correlations between epigenetic aging and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease.

  • Xue Cao
  • Wenjuan Li
  • Huichuan Yu

  ArticleOpen Access19 Apr 2022 Nature Communications
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  Neurotoxic amyloidogenic peptides in the proteome of SARS-COV2: potential implications for neurological symptoms in COVID-19

  Here the authors report the formation of toxic clumps of protein, similar to amyloid assemblies found in Alzheimer’s disease and suggest their possible role for some of the neurological symptoms of long-COVID.

  • Mirren Charnley
  • Saba Islam
  • Nicholas P. Reynolds

  ArticleOpen Access13 Jun 2022 Nature Communications
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  Tracking cryptic SARS-CoV-2 lineages detected in NYC wastewater

  To monitor the presence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants in New York City, Smyth et al. perform deep-sequencing of the receptor binding domain of S protein in wastewater samples and find novel cryptic lineages containing mutations affecting ACE2-tropism and showing decreased neutralization by antibodies.

  • Davida S. Smyth
  • Monica Trujillo
  • John J. Dennehy

  ArticleOpen Access3 Feb 2022 Nature Communications
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  A prospective observational study of post-COVID-19 chronic fatigue syndrome following the first pandemic wave in Germany and biomarkers associated with symptom severity

  Some patients experience long-lasting symptoms after coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Here the authors report the clinical and laboratory parameters in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome from a prospective observational cohort study.

  • Claudia Kedor
  • Helma Freitag
  • Carmen Scheibenbogen

  ArticleOpen Access30 Aug 2022 Nature Communications
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  Course of post COVID-19 disease symptoms over time in the ComPaRe long COVID prospective e-cohort

  Long-term complications and persistent symptoms occur following COVID-19, but the nature and duration of the long-term symptoms are not fully characterised. Here the authors report the evolution of post COVID-19 symptoms using a validated self-reported questionnaire assessing 53 symptoms over time in the ComPaRe long COVID prospective e-cohort.

  • Viet-Thi Tran
  • Raphaël Porcher
  • Philippe Ravaud

  ArticleOpen Access5 Apr 2022 Nature Communications
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  SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: spike protein mutational analysis and epitope for broad neutralization

  SARS-CoV-2 variants have accumulated multiple defining mutations within their spike glycoproteins. Here, the authors report a structural basis for broad neutralization of several variants by a heavy chain antibody fragment and provide a mutational analysis focusing on antibody evasion, receptor engagement, and spike protein structure.

  • Dhiraj Mannar
  • James W. Saville
  • Sriram Subramaniam

  ArticleOpen Access18 Aug 2022 Nature Communications
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  Protection of COVID-19 vaccination and previous infection against Omicron BA.1, BA.2 and Delta SARS-CoV-2 infections

  The protection of COVID-19 vaccines against emerging variants needs to be monitored. Here, the authors use community testing data from the Netherlands and find that protection against infection by Omicron subvariants BA.1 and 2 is low and that booster vaccines considerably but temporarily increase protection.

  • Stijn P. Andeweg
  • Brechje de Gier
  • Mirjam J. Knol

  ArticleOpen Access12 Aug 2022 Nature Communications
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  Thrombosis and thrombocytopenia after vaccination against and infection with SARS-CoV-2 in the United Kingdom

  Population-based studies can provide information on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Here the authors report the rates thrombosis and thrombocytopenia after vaccination against and infection with SARS-CoV-2 in the United Kingdom and compare them with the background (expected) rates in the general population.

  • Edward Burn
  • Xintong Li
  • Daniel Prieto-Alhambra

  ArticleOpen Access23 Nov 2022 Nature Communications