Immune response induced by novel coronavirus infection

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 has been prominent around the world since it was first discovered, affecting more than 100 million people. Although the symptoms of most infected patients are not serious, there is still a considerable proportion of patients who need hospitalization and even develop fatal symptoms such as cytokine storms, acute respiratory distress syndrome and so on. Cytokine storm is usually described as a collection of clinical manifestations caused by overactivation of the immune system, which plays an important role in tissue injury and multiorgan failure. The immune system of healthy individuals is composed of two interrelated parts, the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. Innate immunity is the body’s first line of defense against viruses; it can quickly perceive viruses through pattern recognition receptors and activate related inflammatory pathways to clear pathogens. The adaptive immune system is activated by specific antigens and is mainly composed of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and B cells, which play different roles in viral infection. Here, we discuss the immune response after SARS-CoV-2 infection. In-depth study of the recognition of and response of innate immunity and adaptive immunity to SARS-CoV-2 will help to prevent the development of critical cases and aid the exploration of more targeted treatments.