Notes:
- There is an unusual microbiomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- There is a strong connection between gut microbes and COVID-19 severity.
- In addition to the lungs and gut, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been detected in the liver, kidney, heart, and brain.
- Intestinal bacteria appear to influence the production of this important mucus barrier, which could prevent viruses in the gut from reaching other parts of the body.
- Dysbiome can predispose to leaky gut and it is highly likely that viruses get access to organs other than the lungs and the gut through a leaky gut.
- SARS-CoV-2 altered the gut microbiome by the tenth day of infection; with some of the changes persisting after 26 days.
- There is a drop in bacterial species known to make short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are important molecules that can regulate the immune system.
- SCFAs produced by gut microbes in mouse travel via the bloodstream to other areas of the body, including the lungs, and can protect the from respiratory viruses.
- Some bacteria manufacture a bacteriocin, that blocks the entry of viruses.
- Bacteroidetes trigger intestinal immune cells to release interferons. Interferons are key factors that ramp up the body’s response to viruses and help eliminate cells that are infected.