Antibiotics for COVID-19 Alter Gut Bacteria

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Highlights:

• COVID-19 is a viral respiratory infection with 636,440,663 confirmed cases, including 6,606,624 deaths
• Along with symptoms like fever, cough, and loss of smell, infected people also reported gastrointestinal discomfort
• According to a recent study, antibiotics given during the early days of COVID-19 does impact gut bacteria negatively

COVID-19 affects the collection of microorganisms which live in the human body called microbiome, especially after the administration of antibiotics.

This research could pave the way for the development of probiotic supplements to address gut imbalances in future patients.

‘COVID-19 affected the balance between good and bad bacteria in the gut, especially when the patients were given antibiotics.’

The study, which started in May 2020, was conducted because patients infected by COVID-19 complained of gastrointestinal issues during both acute phases of the infection and while recovering from it (1^✔).

The researchers wanted to gain a deeper understanding by looking at specimens that would give an indication of the state of the gut microbiome in people. They also found out that, while there were differences between people who had COVID-19 and those who were not ill, the biggest difference was observed in those who had been administered antibiotics.

Before the introduction of vaccines and other antiviral remedies, it was a common practice to treat COVID-19 patients with a round of antibiotics in an attempt to target possible secondary infections.

Several studies have reported the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms at the presentation of COVID-19 and the consistent detection of viral shedding in the stools of patients, suggesting a substantial involvement of the GI tract in acute COVID-19 infection (2^✔). Therefore, one host factor that could modulate clinical differences is the state of the host microbiota.

Humans carry very large and diverse populations of microbes, termed the microbiome, living in the GI tract, skin, and other organs (3^✔). The largest population is in the colon, and it interacts with human metabolism, immunity, and the central nervous system (4^✔). Despite conserved similarities in its population structure, there is extensive inter-personal variation in the types and abundances of the bacterial species present.

Over the passage of time, gut microbiota has been providing numerous benefits to its host, which includes inhibition of pathogens directly, maintaining gut integrity, metabolizing undigested compounds especially certain carbohydrates and development of tolerant mucosal barrier and intestinal epithelium. Complex interplay and alliance between immune system and gut microbiota regulates and supports each other as 70-80% of the total body's immune cells are present in the gut (5^✔).

Dysbiosis defined as changes in gut microbiota leading to microbial imbalance has not only been closely linked with the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases but plays a critical role in diverse infections as well. Viruses constitute one of the most common invading pathogens triggering robust interactions between viruses and commensal microbiota.

The scientists studied microbiomes by measuring populations of microorganisms in stool samples taken from 60 subjects. The study group consisted of 20 COVID-19 patients, 20 healthy donors and 20 recovered subjects from COVID-19. They found major differences in the population numbers of 55 different species of bacteria, when comparing the microbiomes of infected patients with the healthy and recovered patients.

It is important to continue to test and track the microbiomes of patients in the study to ascertain the long-term effect on individual microbiomes from COVID-19.

Further investigation of patients will enhance the understanding of the role that gut microbiome plays in COVID-19 disease progression and recovery. These findings may help identify microbial targets and probiotic supplements for improving COVID-19 treatment, said researchers.

References:

1. Alterations of the fecal microbiota in relation to acute COVID-19 infection and recovery - (https:link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s43556-022-00103-1)
2. Virological assessment of hospitalized patients with COVID-2019 - (https:www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2196-x)
3. The Human Microbiome: at the interface of health and disease - (https:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3418802/)
4. Reciprocal Interactions of the Intestinal Microbiota and Immune System - (https:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4492337/)
5. Modulation of intestinal barrier by intestinal microbiota: Pathological and therapeutic implications - (https:www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1043661812001946)

Source: Medindia

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