The coronavirus infection (COVID-19), caused by the severe respiratory coronavirus syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2), affects many organs in the body. As well as being a respiratory illness, it can also affect the cardiovascular and digestive systems.
Researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP), Sao Jose do Rio Preto, and the Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, suggest altering the gut microbiota and re-establishing eubiosis in among COVID-19 this could prevent serious complications.
In the paper published in the journal Boundaries in Psychology, the researchers noted that since COVID-19 affects both the respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal mucosa, it is possible to have diagnostic therapies that alter the lung axis.
The association between lung mucosa and gut in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. The SARS-CoV-2 virus enters optimal cells from the respiratory system, but a large body of evidence identifies the GIT as another important target for the entry and reproduction of the virus. The dysbiosis, along with the obstructive damage and the resulting inflammation, may make the establishment of the disease possible. The translocation bacteria, leukocytes and release of inflammatory mediators in the gut-lung axis may contribute to COVID-19-associated organ degeneration. Some recommended diagnostic treatments such as prebiotics or probiotics, which aim to restore the eubiosis state through microbiota modeling may represent another way to reduce or avoid the most common outcomes. month of COVID-19.
The gut midge
Trillions of microbes live in the digestive tract. More than 400 species of bacteria thrive in the gut, which are larger than the cells of the body. These microbes are essential in digesting food, fighting harmful pathogenic microorganisms, and synthesizing vitamins.
When the symmetry in the gut microbiome occurs, dysbiosis occurs. It is a condition in which gut bacteria become unbalanced, causing a wide range of digestive disturbances.
The mucosal surface in the lungs and gut plays an important role in altering immune responses by fighting off pathogens and preventing excessive inflammation or thin damage.
However, this ability depends on the balance of the local microbiota, while a breakdown in the mucosal level and dysbiosis may be conducive to the establishment of diseases, including COVID-19.
There is also evidence of crossstalk between the respiratory system and the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), especially between the intestinal microbiota and the lungs. The interactions and the gut lung axis have been extensively studied in the past.
The study
The study clarifies how SARS-CoV-2 targets the gastrointestinal tract. When COVID-19 first appeared in December 2019, clinicians first diagnosed it as a respiratory illness. As the pandemic progresses, more organs and tracts were affected, including the GI tract.
Many types of viruses such as rotavirus, norovirus, and coronavirus can capture the enterocytes in the GI tract. As a result, there is a weakening in the intestinal process, causing an imbalance in intestinal function.
Many reports have shown that SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in feces. In a study in Singapore, 50 per cent of patients with SARS-CoV-2 detected the virus in their feces.
Another study showed that the presence of SARS-CoV-2 could be seen in both neck swabs and fecal samples.
What are the GI markers of COVID-19?
In COVID-19, the most common GIT symptoms include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and stomach cramps.
The presence of GIT signals in COVID-19 is common. In China, where the virus first appeared, it was observed in Zheijiang province, among 651 patients with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, between January and February 2020, 11.4 percent had at least one GIT symptom with diarrhea as the most common.
Although COVID-19 is less common in children, the frequency of GIT manifestations was very similar to that of adults. GIT patients have a higher rate of kidney disease than patients with COVID-19 but without GIT symptoms.
If COVID-19 worsens, GIT symptoms become more pronounced. This is probably because viral reproduction in the GIT could lead to a more dangerous clinical situation.
Dysbiosis and COVID-19
The gut-lung axis has been extensively examined. Currently, the study addressed how SARS-CoV-2 infection may affect the microbiota. The effect of the intestinal microbiota on systemic immunity and respiratory diseases has been studied both in animals and in humans.
Some studies have shown the importance of the microbiota in lung antiviral responses by altering the immune responses.
The gut microbiome may play a role in the expression of type I interferon receptors in respiratory epithelial cells, which react rapidly to viral infections.
Overall, the researchers of the study recommend experimental treatments based on microbiota modeling, which help in the fight against coronavirus pandemic. Several studies have evaluated the effect of probiotic and prebiotic administration in reducing the frequency, duration, and severity of respiratory diseases in humans.
Experimental studies and clinical trials support the potential for probiotic use during infections with influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and rhinovirus.
The team believes that diagnostic therapies based on gut-lung axis modeling and rebalancing of eubiosis or balanced gut microbiome may be an essential therapeutic approach for reducing COVID-19 complications.