The longitudinal quality of life (QoL) of COVID-19 survivors, especially those with post-acute sequelae (PASC) is not well described. We evaluated QoL in our COVID-19 survivor cohort over 6 months using the RAND SF-36 survey. From July 2020–March 2021 we enrolled 110 adults from the United States with a positive SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) into the Northern Colorado Coronavirus Biobank (NoCo-COBIO). Demographic data and symptom surveillance were collected from 62 adults. In total, 42% were hospitalized, and 58% were non-hospitalized. The Rand SF-36 consists of 36 questions and 8 scales, and questions are scored 0–100. A lower-scale score indicates a lower QoL. In conclusion, hospitalization, PASC, and disease severity were associated with significantly lower scores on the RAND SF-36 in Physical Functioning, Role Limitation due to Physical Health, Energy/Fatigue, Social Functioning, and General Health. Long-term monitoring of COVID-19 survivors is needed to fully understand the impact of the disease on QoL and could have implications for interventions to alleviate suffering during recovery.

Introduction: Lassa virus is a priority pathogen for vaccine research and development, however the duration of cellular immunity and protection in Lassa fever (LF) survivors remains unclear.Methods: We investigated Lassa virus specific CD8⁺T cell responses in 93 LF survivors. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from these individuals were infected with recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus encoding Lassa virus antigens and virus specific T cell responses were measured after 18-hour incubation. Participants who had undetectable CD8⁺T cell response underwent further analysis using a 10-day T cell proliferation assays to evaluate for low T cell precursor frequency.Results: Forty-five of the 93 LF survivors did not have a Lassa virus specific CD8⁺T cell response. Of those with responses and a known date of onset of LF (N = 11), 9 had LF within the last ten years. Most participants without a measurable CD8⁺T cell response were more than 10 years removed from a clinical history of LF (N = 14/16). Fourteen of 21 patients (67%) with undetectable CD8⁺T cell response had a measurable Lassa virus specific CD8⁺T cell response with the 10-day assay.Discussion: Despite reports of strong CD8⁺T cell responses during acute Lassa virus infection, circulating Lassa virus-specific CD8⁺T cells declined to undetectable levels in most Lassa fever survivors after ten years when evaluated with an 18-hour T cell stimulation. However, when Lassa virus-specific T cells were expanded prior to restimulation, a Lassa virus-specific CD8⁺T cell response could be detected in many if the samples that were negative in the 18-hour stimulation assay, suggesting that prolonged cellular immunity does exist in Lassa fever survivors at low frequencies.

Introduction: Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 affects the quality of life of many COVID-19 survivors, yet the etiology of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 remains unknown. We aimed to determine if persistent inflammation and ongoing T-cell activation during convalescence were a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.Methods: We evaluated 67 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 by nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction for persistent symptoms during convalescence at separate time points occurring up to 180 days post-diagnosis. Fifty-two of these individuals were evaluated longitudinally. We obtained whole blood samples at each study visit, isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and stained for multiple T cell activation markers for flow cytometry analysis. The activation states of participants’ CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cells were next analyzed for each of the persistent symptoms.Results: Overall, we found that participants with persistent symptoms had significantly higher levels of inflammation at multiple time points during convalescence when compared to those who fully recovered from COVID-19. Participants with persistent dyspnea, forgetfulness, confusion, and chest pain had significantly higher levels of proliferating effector T-cells (CD8⁺Ki67⁺), and those with chest pain, joint pain, difficulty concentrating, and forgetfulness had higher levels of regulatory T-cells (CD4⁺CD25⁺). Additionally, those with dyspnea had significantly higher levels of CD8⁺CD38⁺, CD8⁺ Granzyme B⁺, and CD8⁺IL10⁺ cells. A retrospective comparison of acute phase inflammatory markers in adults with and without post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 showed that CD8⁺Ki67⁺ cells were significantly higher at the time of acute illness (up to 14 days post-diagnosis) in those who developed persistent dyspnea.Discussion: These findings suggest continued CD8+ T-cell activation following SARS-CoV-2 infection in adults experiencing post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 and that the increase in T regulatory cells for a subset of these patients represents the ongoing attempt by the host to reduce inflammation.

Vitamin D deficiency is common in the United States and leads to altered immune function, including T cell and macrophage activity that may impact responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study investigated 131 adults with a history of a positive SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal PCR and 18 adults with no COVID-19 diagnosis that were recruited from the community or hospital into the Northern Colorado Coronavirus Biorepository (NoCo-COBIO). Participants consented to enrollment for a period of 6 months and provided biospecimens at multiple visits for longitudinal analysis. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were quantified by LC-MS/MS at the initial visit (n = 149) and after 4 months (n = 89). Adults were classified as deficient (<30 nM or <12 ng/mL), insufficient (20 ng/mL) for 25-hydroxyvitamin D status. Fisher’s exact test demonstrated an association between disease severity, gender, and body mass index (BMI) at baseline. Mixed model analyses with Tukey-Kramer were used for longitudinal analysis according to BMI. Sixty-nine percent (n = 103) of the entire cohort had optimal levels of total 25(OH)D, 22% (n = 32) had insufficient levels, and 9% (n = 14) had deficent levels. Participants with severe disease (n = 37) had significantly lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D (total 25(OH)D) when compared to adults with mild disease (p = 0.006) or no COVID-19 diagnosis (p = 0.007). There was 44% of the cohort with post-acute sequalae of COVID-19 (PASC) as defined by experiencing at least one of the following symptoms after 60 days’ post-infection: fatigue, dyspnea, joint pain, chest pain, forgetfulness or absent-mindedness, confusion, or difficulty breathing. While significant differences were detected in 25-hydroxyvitamin D status by sex and BMI, there were no correlations between 25-hydroxyvitamin D for those without and without PASC. This longitudinal study of COVID-19 survivors demonstrates an important association between sex, BMI, and disease severity for 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency during acute stages of infection, yet it is not clear whether supplementation efforts would influence long term outcomes such as developing PASC.

In crop rotation systems, plant-soil feedback (PSF) effects can modulate nutrient cycling in soil, like organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. Organic nitrogen is present in plant and microbial necromass, and it must be depolymerized by microbes to become available for crops. Since plant identity can modulate microbial diversity and community composition, we thought that previous crop identity and its residue management would also change the microbial functional capacity, and thereby impact soil N availability, and the quality and yield of the following crop. To test this, two legumes ( Vicia faba L., i.e. faba bean, and Pisum sativum L., i.e., yellow pea) were grown in two fields (Cloutier, and Palmarolle) in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada (n=3 for each field). At the end of the growing season, we harvested peas and faba beans in both fields. During the following growing season, spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) was sown and received, or not granulated chicken manure as an organic fertilizer. We determined the diversity and composition of the microbial communities and their enzymatic depolymerization capacity in the soil and the rhizosphere each growing season. During wheat growth, previous legumes shaped bacterial (p-value = 0.006) and fungal (p-value = 0.001) communities without modulating the enzymatic activity of wheat-associated rhizosphere microbes. However, faba bean as a previous crop increased soil ammonium and wheat grain protein content at harvest as compared to peas at Cloutier. Altogether, our results show that faba beans can enhance wheat N nutrition, without a concomitant increase in potential protein or cellulose depolymerization, suggesting more mineralization due to increases in fungal: bacterial ratio or in the availability of substrates. Understanding plant-soil feedback in crop rotation systems is crucial to improve our practices and sustainably meet crops’ nutritional needs. Highlights: Previous crop identity distinctively shaped wheat rhizosphere microbial communities Previous legume did not altered the enzymatic activity of wheat-associated rhizosphere microbes, but increased soil ammonium Wheat grain protein content was higher following faba bean than peas