Detection of Intestinal Dysbiosis in Post-COVID-19 Patients One to Eight Months after Acute Disease Resolution

Alexandre Soares Ferreira-Junior, Tais Fernanda Borgonovi, Larissa Vedovato Vilela De Salis, Aline Zazeri Leite, Amanda Soares Dantas, Guilherme Vedovato Vilela De Salis, Giuliano Netto Flores Cruz, Luiz Felipe Valter De Oliveira, Eleni Gomes, Ana Lúcia Barretto Penna and Gislane Lelis Vilela De Oliveira ()
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Alexandre Soares Ferreira-Junior: Microbiology Program, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences (IBILCE), Sao Jose do Rio Preto 15054-000, Brazil
Tais Fernanda Borgonovi: Food Engineering and Technology Department, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Sao Jose do Rio Preto 15054-000, Brazil
Larissa Vedovato Vilela De Salis: Microbiology Program, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences (IBILCE), Sao Jose do Rio Preto 15054-000, Brazil
Aline Zazeri Leite: Microbiology Program, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences (IBILCE), Sao Jose do Rio Preto 15054-000, Brazil
Amanda Soares Dantas: Barretos Board of Health, Emergency Care Unit, Barretos 14780-900, Brazil
Guilherme Vedovato Vilela De Salis: Barretos Board of Health, Emergency Care Unit, Barretos 14780-900, Brazil
Giuliano Netto Flores Cruz: BiomeHub Research and Development, Florianopolis 88054-700, Brazil
Luiz Felipe Valter De Oliveira: BiomeHub Research and Development, Florianopolis 88054-700, Brazil
Eleni Gomes: Microbiology Program, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences (IBILCE), Sao Jose do Rio Preto 15054-000, Brazil
Ana Lúcia Barretto Penna: Microbiology Program, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences (IBILCE), Sao Jose do Rio Preto 15054-000, Brazil
Gislane Lelis Vilela De Oliveira: Microbiology Program, Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences (IBILCE), Sao Jose do Rio Preto 15054-000, Brazil

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 16, 1-15

Abstract: The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the immune response against viral infections, modulating both innate and adaptive immune responses. The cytokine storm is associated with COVID-19 severity, and the patient’s immune status is influenced by the intestinal microbiota in a gut-lung bidirectional interaction. In this study, we evaluate the intestinal microbiota of Brazilian patients in different post-COVID-19 periods, and correlate this with clinical data and the antibiotic therapy used during the acute phase. DNA extracted from stool samples was sequenced and total anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and C-reactive protein were quantified. Compared with controls, there were significant differences in the microbiota diversity in post-COVID-19 patients, suggesting an intestinal dysbiosis even several months after acute disease resolution. Additionally, we detected some genera possibly associated with the post-COVID-19 dysbiosis, including Desulfovibrio , Haemophillus , Dialister , and Prevotella , in addition to decreased beneficial microbes, associated with antibiotic-induced dysbiosis, such as Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia . Therefore, our hypothesis is that dysbiosis and the indiscriminate use of antibiotics during the pandemic may be associated with post-COVID-19 clinical manifestations. In our study, 39% ( n = 58) of patients reported symptoms, including fatigue, dyspnea, myalgia, alopecia, anxiety, memory loss, and depression. These data suggest that microbiota modulation may represent a target for recovery from acute COVID-19 and a therapeutic approach for post-COVID-19 sequelae.

Keywords: post-COVID-19; intestinal microbiota; dysbiosis; antibiotics; sequelae (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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