SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Nasopharyngeal Microbiota

Canadian researchers investigated how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection altered the microbiota composition of the host’s nasopharyngeal region.

The risk and clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection vary widely among individuals. However, the mechanisms underlying these differences in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) progression and pathogenesis remain unclear. Studies have shown that the mucosal microbiome influences host toll-like receptor (TLR) expression, which is involved in virus detection. Studies have also shown the prevalence of bacterial co-infections in COVID-19 patients at 6.9%.

Likewise, elevated nasal cytokines have been implicated in adverse clinical outcomes in influenza patients. Therefore, exploring upper respiratory tract microbiota compositional changes following SARS-CoV-2 infection could help evaluate its impact on infection severity.

Overall, the study results presented a granular picture of the microbiota differences in SARS-CoV-2-infected and uninfected individuals. Despite significant overlap in the confidence ellipses, the differences in nasopharyngeal microbiota composition among study groups were relatively small.

A non-influenza respiratory viral infection increases the host’s susceptibility to S. aureus superinfection by reducing the immune system’s ability to regulate its clearance from the nasal passage. Therefore, the medical interventions such as intubation or antibiotic exposure most likely increased the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae among the hospitalized SARS-CoV-2-infected study group. However, the presence of Neisseriaceae taxa in the community-dwelling SARS-CoV-2-infected group remains unexplained.

Further work is needed to determine the functional characteristics of the nasopharyngeal microbiome. This knowledge could help develop novel COVID-19 prognostic markers and open new avenues for new approaches to COVID-19 treatments.

Read more: https://www.tridhascholars.org/press-release/sars-cov-2-infection-status-and-severity-influenced-by-nasopharyngeal-microbiota.php


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