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New studies have shown that a person’s gut microbiome can play a role in fighting infection with the Corona virus and preventing severe symptoms of ‘Covid-19’.
Each person has a unique set of bacteria in their gut that play a variety of roles, including modulating the immune response.
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Research from the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that people with Covid-19 have a “greatly altered” microbiological makeup.
Separate research conducted in South Korea found that people with poor bowel function are more likely to develop severe ‘Covid-19’ because the lack of healthy microbes allows the virus to more easily infect cells in the digestive system .
The Hong Kong team examined the blood, stool and patient charts of 100 hospitalized patients with “Covid-19” between February and May 2020, and 27 of these patients also provided samples 30 days after transmission. .
The researchers also collected samples from 78 people without “Covid-19” who were participating in the microbiome study before the epidemic.
The study concluded that the gut microbiome may be involved in “the extent of the severity of Covid-19, possibly by modulating the host’s immune responses.”
The authors found that patients with Covid-19 had depleted levels of several gut bacteria known to modulate a person’s immune response.
For example, there was evidence of elevated levels of certain bacteria, including: Ruminococcus gnavus, Ruminococcus couples, and Bacteroides dorei.
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It also depleted the levels of microbes known to help the immune system, including: Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Bifidobacterium bifidum.
Changes in bacterial composition continued for at least a month after virus elimination.
In light of reports that a subset of patients recovering from ‘Covid-19’ suffer from persistent symptoms, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and joint pain, more than 80 days after the first symptoms appear, we assume that The bacterial imbalance of the gut microbiome may It contributes to immune health problems after “Covid-19”, according to the research paper published in the journal Gut.
Blood samples have revealed that this microbial defect is also linked to higher levels of cytokines, which are small molecules that are normally part of the immune response but can cause damage if not properly regulated.
The serious characteristic of “Covid-19” is that the immune system changes to a failed state after infection with the coronavirus, and in severe cases it attacks healthy cells and tissues.
The so-called “cytokine storm” sees small molecules being pumped out in large quantities as their regulatory system disrupts and continues to wreak havoc.
This can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is a potentially life-threatening condition.
If the patient’s condition deteriorates at this point, it is difficult to intervene, and as a result, prevention of cytokine storms has become a central goal of coronavirus drug trials.
The study was observational and could not determine if “Covid-19” alters the gut microbiome, or if a weak microbiome leads to a more serious infection.
However, a separate study by South Korean researchers and published in the journal Mbio, although recently reviewed, indicates that the latter option is more likely.
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Academics at Korea University’s Human-Microbial Interactions Lab analyzed data from various studies that investigated the effect of poor gut health on coronavirus infection.
Dr Hinam Stanley Kim, who led the journal, believes that there is now strong evidence to support claims that the gut microbiome plays a critical role in the immune response to SARS-CoV infection. 2.
Dr Kim notes that a dysfunctional gut can exacerbate the severity of the infection because low microbial levels allow the coronavirus to more easily reach the surface of the digestive tract and internal organs.
These organs contain a receptor called ACE2 on their surface, and this important protein is what the virus hijacks to reach the cell. It is found in large quantities in the lungs and respiratory system as well as in the digestive system.
Dr Kim said: ‘There appears to be a clear link between the altered gut microbiome and severe COVID-19.
The gut microbiome is very sensitive and responds to a person’s health, diet, and environment.
Scientists continue to learn more, but people with underlying health conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes are known to have imbalanced microbiomes.
After the elderly are more likely to die from “Covid-19”, and the CDC says in the United States that people over 85 are 630 times more likely to die from “Covid-19” infection than a person between the ages of 18 and 29 According to Dr. Kim, many of them often suffer from impaired functioning microbiomes.
Source: Daily Mail
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