ABSTRACT To investigate the relationship between intestinal microbiota and SARS-CoV-2-mediated pathogenicity in a United States, majority African American cohort. We prospectively collected fecal samples from 50 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, 9 SARS-CoV-2 recovered patients, and 34 uninfected subjects seen by the hospital with unrelated respiratory medical conditions (controls). 16S rRNA sequencing and qPCR analysis was performed on fecal DNA/RNA. The fecal microbial composition was found to be significantly different between SARS-CoV-2 patients and controls (PERMANOVA FDR- P = .004), independent of antibiotic exposure. Peptoniphilus, Corynebacterium and Campylobacter were identified as the three most significantly enriched genera in COVID-19 patients compared to controls. Actively infected patients were also found to have a different gut microbiota than recovered patients (PERMANOVA FDR- P = .003), and the most enriched genus in infected patients was Campylobacter , with Agathobacter and Faecalibacterium being enriched in the recovered patients. No difference in microbial community structure between recovered patients and uninfected controls was observed, nor a difference in alpha diversity between the three groups. 24 of the 50 COVID-19 patients (48%) tested positive via RT-qPCR for fecal SARS-CoV-2 RNA. A significant difference in gut microbial composition between SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative samples was observed, with Klebsiella and Agathobacter being enriched in the positive cohort. No significant associations between microbiome composition and disease severity was found. The intestinal microbiota is sensitive to the presence of SARS-CoV-2, with increased relative abundance of genera ( Campylobacter, Klebsiella ) associated with gastrointestinal (GI) disease. Further studies are needed to investigate the functional impact of SARS-CoV-2 on GI health.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, microbiota, Microbiome, clinical study, 16S rRNA sequencing, Human gut microbiota, 【초록키워드】 disease severity, hospital, Sequencing, 16S rRNA, RT-qPCR, Cohort, Health, Fecal sample, Control, Alpha, gut microbiota, SARS-CoV-2 RNA, United States, recovered patients, pathogenicity, disease, microbial community, African American, association, antibiotic, Corynebacterium, Campylobacter, COVID-19 patient, fecal, Gut, microbial, significant difference, SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, subject, three groups, positive, microbiome composition, qPCR analysis, uninfected, controls, independent, intestinal, negative sample, Faecalibacterium, Klebsiella, recovered patient, tested, collected, significantly, was performed, functional, majority, infected patient, uninfected control, FDR, medical condition, SARS-CoV-2 patient, 【제목키워드】 Cohort, Gut, uninfected, COVID-19 recovered patient, United State,