Figure 8.

Evaluation of IFN-γ-S-specific T-cell response by flow cytometry. Cells from whole blood from HCWs (n = 7) and RA patients (n = 32) were stimulated for 24 h with spike peptide pool, and the percentage of IFN-γ-specific T cells was assessed by flow cytometry. Graphs show the frequency of the (A) CD4⁺ and (B) CD8⁺ IFN-γ-specific T-cell response (after subtraction of the unstimulated sample) in HCWs and RA patients. Each dot is a different HCW or RA individual, and red lines indicate the median. Mann–Whitney U-test was performed for the statistical analysis, and the p-value ≤0.05 was considered significant. RA, rheumatoid arthritis; HCWs, health care workers.