Publications by authors named "Cara Simonitsch"

The ubiquitous Torque teno virus (TTV) establishes a chronically persistent infection in the human host. TTV has not been associated with any apparent disease, but, as part of the human virome, it may confer a regulatory imprint on the human immune system with as yet unclear consequences. However, so far, only few studies have characterized the TTV-specific immune responses or the overall immunological imprints by TTV.

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Disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ranges from mild illness to severe respiratory disease and death. In this study, we determined the kinetics of viral loads, antibody responses (IgM, IgG, neutralization) and SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4 T cells by quantifying these parameters in 435 serial respiratory and blood samples collected from a cohort of 29 COVID-19 patients with either moderate or severe disease during the whole period of hospitalization or until death. Remarkably, there was no significant difference in the kinetics and plateau levels of neutralizing antibodies among the groups with different disease severity.

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