ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Viral Immunology
COORDINATED KINETICS OF HUMORAL, T-CELLULAR, AND CYTOKINE RESPONSES TO SARS-COV-2 IN WEST AFRICAN HEALTHCARE WORKERS: A MULTICENTER LONGITUDINAL STUDY IN UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF ABIDJAN, CÔTE D'IVOIRE
Provisionally accepted
Amah Patricia Victorine Goran-Kouacou*
Oppong Richard Yéboah
YIDA JOCELYNE SERIAya Ursule Aniela AssiAdjoumanvoulé Honoré AdouSalimata MoussaBrou Doris Oura
Siransy LilianeKoffi N'GuessanSéry Romuald Dassé- Department of Immunology and Allergology, Faculty of Medecine, Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
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Background: Healthcare workers in resource-limited settings are frequently exposed to SARS-CoV-2, often with incomplete vaccine coverage. Yet, their adaptive immune responses remain poorly characterized in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: We conducted a multicenter study involving 36 healthcare workers with RT-PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (83.3% vaccinated) and 40 strictly unvaccinated, COVID-19-naïve controls from three university hospitals in Abidjan. Blood samples were collected on Days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28. IgM and IgG were measured by ELFA (Mini VIDAS®), neutralizing antibodies with CHORUS TRIO®, lymphocyte subsets by flow cytometry, and Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines using bead-based multiplex assays. Results: Infected participants showed strong antibody production at baseline. IgG levels were closely linked to neutralizing activity (ρ = 0.83; p < 0.0001), and CD4⁺ T-cell counts correlated with IL-2 (ρ = 0.71; p < 0.0001). We observed early activation across Th1 (IFN-γ, TNF-α), Th2 (IL-4, IL-10), and Th17 (IL-17A) pathways. IL-17A levels were higher in asymptomatic individuals (p = 0.031). Over time, IgM and pro-inflammatory cytokines declined, while IgG remained stable and regulatory cytokines rose. Conclusion: This cohort developed a broad immune response involving antibodies, T cells, and cytokines. The IL-17A pattern seen in asymptomatic cases may reflect effective mucosal control. These findings contribute essential data from a region where immune profiling remains limited.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Healthcare workers, humoral immunity, T-cell response, Cytokines, neutralizing antibodies, sub-Saharan Africa
Received: 19 Jul 2025; Accepted: 03 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Goran-Kouacou, Yéboah, SERI, Assi, Adou, Moussa, Oura, Liliane, N'Guessan and Dassé. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Amah Patricia Victorine Goran-Kouacou, kouacou.amah@gmail.com
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