Researchers have linked symptoms of post-COVID syndrome to changes in the gut microbiota. Another confirmation of the great importance that the community of bacteria living in the stomach has for our health has been received.
It is well known that the coronavirus, when severe, can affect a variety of body organs in addition to the respiratory tract. Infections of the gastrointestinal tract are among the most common with coronavirus. And as a result of these infections, the composition and diversity of the intestinal microbiota are significantly altered. Researchers from Brazil, observing patients with coronavirus, have established a link between changes in the microbiota and the severity of the underlying disease.
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The study was conducted in 72 covid patients and 59 healthy controls in Brazil, all of whom had stool samples to study the composition and diversity of the intestinal microbiota. Samples from coronavirus patients were collected, on average, two months after infection. By that time, they all no longer had any traces of covid. However, it was found that the coronavirus that had already left the body still significantly disrupted the intestinal microbiota of its victims, when compared with the bacterial community in healthy people.
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Especially clearly this was evident in the assessment of intestinal microbiota metabolites. Coronavirus survivors had lower levels of acetate and butyrate. In addition, there is strong evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection causes damage to the intestinal epithelium, but this is not associated with more severe systemic inflammation. (READ MORE)