Could veterinarians be immune to contracting SARS-CoV-2?

Introduction
The aim of the study was to assess the epidemic situation among veterinarians of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, in relation to the control group.

Material and methods
The research was divided into 3 stages. Stage I involved the selection of subjects. In stage II, flow cytometry for immunophenotyping was performed and the percentage of the sub-population of CD4 cells and CD8 cells was assessed. Stage III involved collection of nasopharyngeal swab samples in order to determine the canine coronavirus CR-CoV mRNA with the rT-PCR method.

Results
The percentage of the CD4 and CD8 lymphocyte subpopulation in relation to the total lymphocyte population in veterinarians did not differ statistically from the percentage in the control group. The CD4/CD8 ratio in the group of veterinarians was on average 1.93, and 2.04 in the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups, p = 0.591. Canine CR-CoV mRNA was not detected in any of the veterinarians or in the control group.

Conclusions
None of the veterinarians had a significant increase in T lymphocytes, which could be an effective defense against SARS-CoV-2.