Rob Kozak, PhD, FCCM
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON

Recovery from COVID-19 is not uniform, as a substantial number of patients report the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on their overall health and wellness long after the acute phase, referred to as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) or “long COVID-19”. PASC affects individuals not only with pre-existing conditions or severe acute illness during their infection but also young healthy individuals with mild illness. Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection involves sampling the upper respiratory tract by an NP swab for molecular testing. This residual media is a source of both viral as well as host RNA, which can undergo RNA-sequencing and provide insight into the mucosal host response. This was performed on NP swabs collected 14 days from initial diagnosis from a cohort of COVID-19 patients. From this, we observed divergent immune response pathways that segregate with positive PASC symptoms at 3 months, providing a novel pathobiological insight into long COVID-19 development.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to:

  • Summarize our cohort of long COVID-19 patients;
  • Characterize host transcriptional response associated with long COVID-19 in samples from the upper respiratory tract; and
  • Discuss the potential of animal models and their ability to mimic aspects of long COVID-19.

CanMEDS Roles: Collaborator