Impact of monoclonal B lymphocytosis and the state of the immune system on the development and evolution of COVID-19 infection in adults

In this project we start from the hypothesis that patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus carry an aging immune system -determined by the presence of small clones of circulating B cells in peripheral blood and the secondary immunodeficiency associated with this condition- , they would develop a more serious disease and would evolve worse due to their inability to recognize new antigens. To do this, we propose: 1) to explore the presence of B lymphoid clones (LBMlo) in the blood of infected patients admitted to the Internal Medicine Department of the University Hospital of Salamanca; 2) study the state of your immune system, using innovative tools developed by the research group that allow identifying> 250 different populations of immune cells in blood; 3) relate the above data with the clinical characteristics of the patients; and 4) identify parameters related to an aging immune system that will provide a solid basis for prognostic stratification, and clinical validation.