ABSTRACT
Advancement in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in a rapid increase in infected patients worldwide. Due to the varied immune response against SARS-CoV-2 from individual to individual, it’s important to understand host immune response against SARS-CoV-2 more deeply, especially to understand its role in disease pathogenesis and clinical manifestations. Coronavirus not only stimulates host antiviral immune-mediated pathways but can also trigger hyper-inflammatory responses represented by significant production in pro-inflammatory cytokines in patients with severe COVID-19, resulting in lymphopenia, lymphocyte dysfunction, and granulocyte and monocyte abnormalities. Thus, dysfunction of various molecular or signaling pathways that leads to immune abnormalities in COVID-19 patients should be revealed in order to deeply understand the host–pathogen interaction and for the early recognition of this immunological phenotype. This will help in the quick identification of patients who can progress to severe disease. This chapter will give an overview of the immunopathology of COVID-19, its potential mechanisms, and clinical implications.
