Altered oral and gut microbiota and its association with SARS-CoV-2 viral load in COVID-19 patients during hospitalization.
NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes
; 7(1): 61, 2021 07 22.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1322476
ABSTRACT
The human oral and gut commensal microbes play vital roles in the development and maintenance of immune homeostasis, while its association with susceptibility and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection is barely understood. In this study, we investigated the dynamics of the oral and intestinal flora before and after the clearance of SARS-CoV-2 in 53 COVID-19 patients, and then examined their microbiome alterations in comparison to 76 healthy individuals. A total of 140 throat swab samples and 81 fecal samples from these COVID-19 patients during hospitalization, and 44 throat swab samples and 32 fecal samples from sex and age-matched healthy individuals were collected and then subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing and viral load inspection. We found that SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with alterations of the microbiome community in patients as indicated by both alpha and beta diversity indexes. Several bacterial taxa were identified related to SARS-CoV-2 infection, wherein elevated Granulicatella and Rothia mucilaginosa were found in both oral and gut microbiome. The SARS-CoV-2 viral load in those samples was also calculated to identify potential dynamics between COVID-19 and the microbiome. These findings provide a meaningful baseline for microbes in the digestive tract of COVID-19 patients and will shed light on new dimensions for disease pathophysiology, potential microbial biomarkers, and treatment strategies for COVID-19.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Viral Load
/
Gastrointestinal Microbiome
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S41522-021-00232-5
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