Journal Article

Long COVID and Type I IFN Signature in Working-Age Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Santinelli, Letizia, Ridolfi, Marco, Ceccarelli, Giancarlo, Maddaloni, Luca, Mastroianni, Claudio M., d’Ettorre, Gabriele, Frasca, Federica, Bugani, Ginevra, Bortolani, Luca, Fracella, Matteo, d’Ettorre, Gabriella, Gentilini Cacciola, Elio

2025

Overview

To investigate relevant biomarkers that might aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of long COVID (LC), an analysis of IFN-α, IFN-β, ISG15, and ISG56 transcripts was performed by Real-Time PCR among people of working age who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 one year prior to the study [LC and non-long COVID (NLC)]. Despite no differences in the transcript levels of IFN-α, IFN-β, ISG15, and ISG56 between LC and NLC, higher IFN-β mRNA levels were observed among LC compared to NLC individuals who were hospitalized for more than 10 days during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, previously SARS-CoV-2 infected participants that did not require respiratory support and developed LC exhibited higher levels of IFN-α and IFN-β compared to NLC with the same clinical characteristics. These results highlight that SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to changes in peripheral innate immune pathways, which could have implications for the development of LC.

• Publisher: MDPI AG
• Subject: Adults / Aged / Biomarkers / Biomarkers - blood / Chronic illnesses / Comparative analysis / Cross-Sectional Studies / Fatigue / Female / Gene Expression Profiling / Genes / Health aspects / Hospitalization / Humans / Immune response / Immunity, Innate - genetics / Infection / Interferon Type I - genetics / Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Long COVID / Male / Middle Aged / Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome - blood / Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome - diagnosis / Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome - immunology / Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / RNA / RNA, Messenger - genetics / Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 / Viral infections