Persistent SARS-Cov-2 Infection in an Immunocompromised Host: Role of the Cellular Immune Response

Abstract

We present a patient with B-cell depletion and persistence of positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR along 19 weeks despite having received treatment with corticosteroids, Convalescent Plasma (CP) and remdesivir. Direct genome sequences were obtained with a pattern of substitutions characteristic of the B.1.1.7 (alpha) lineage and the presence of mutations during its viral persistence. Although specific humoral response was not detected, there was evidence of a specific cellular response that was enhanced after the first dose of the vaccine.