Bacteriome Signature in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients Correlates with Increased Gut Permeability and Systemic Inflammatory Cytokines
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the complex interplay between the gut microbiota and systemic immune responses, particularly through the gut–lung axis. Disruptions in gut microbial diversity and function—commonly referred to as dysbiosis—have been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| author | Larissa S. Souza Alexandre S. Ferreira-Junior Pedro C. Estella Ricardo K. Noda Lhorena F. Sousa Miguel T. Y. Murata Lucas A. L. Carvalho João L. Brisotti Daniel G. Pinheiro Josias Rodrigues Carlos M. C. B. Fortaleza Gislane L. V. de Oliveira |
| author_facet | Larissa S. Souza Alexandre S. Ferreira-Junior Pedro C. Estella Ricardo K. Noda Lhorena F. Sousa Miguel T. Y. Murata Lucas A. L. Carvalho João L. Brisotti Daniel G. Pinheiro Josias Rodrigues Carlos M. C. B. Fortaleza Gislane L. V. de Oliveira |
| author_sort | Larissa S. Souza |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the complex interplay between the gut microbiota and systemic immune responses, particularly through the gut–lung axis. Disruptions in gut microbial diversity and function—commonly referred to as dysbiosis—have been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we assessed the gut bacteriome and permeability in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients using 16S sequencing and ELISA assays, respectively. We also measured blood inflammatory cytokines and fecal secretory IgA to evaluate systemic and mucosal immune responses. Significant alterations in both alpha and beta diversity metrics were observed in patients with COVID-19 (<i>n</i> = 79) and those with post-COVID-19 condition (<i>n</i> = 141) compared to the controls (<i>n</i> = 97). Differential abundance and taxonomic analyses revealed distinct microbial profiles in the infected groups. Increased plasma levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-17A, IFN-γ, and zonulin were detected in patient samples. Some genera were elevated during acute infection, which was positively correlated with C-reactive protein, while <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> and <i>Escherichia-Shigella</i> were associated with increased zonulin levels, indicating compromised intestinal barrier function. These findings suggest that gut dysbiosis may contribute to bacterial translocation and systemic inflammation. Overall, our results highlight the importance of the gut–lung axis and suggest that modulating the gut microbiota could support immune regulation in SARS-CoV-2 infection. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9f2c5e991e3343fa904b9bc0b81058ac |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj-art-9f2c5e991e3343fa904b9bc0b81058ac2025-08-20T03:29:40ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-06-01136140710.3390/microorganisms13061407Bacteriome Signature in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients Correlates with Increased Gut Permeability and Systemic Inflammatory CytokinesLarissa S. Souza0Alexandre S. Ferreira-Junior1Pedro C. Estella2Ricardo K. Noda3Lhorena F. Sousa4Miguel T. Y. Murata5Lucas A. L. Carvalho6João L. Brisotti7Daniel G. Pinheiro8Josias Rodrigues9Carlos M. C. B. Fortaleza10Gislane L. V. de Oliveira11Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biosciences (IBB), Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18618-681, BrazilDepartment of Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biosciences (IBB), Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18618-681, BrazilBotucatu School of Medicine (FMB), Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18618-687, BrazilBotucatu School of Medicine (FMB), Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18618-687, BrazilSanta Casa Hospital, Ribeirão Preto 14085-000, BrazilSanta Casa Hospital, Ribeirão Preto 14085-000, BrazilDepartment of Agricultural, Livestock and Environmental Biotechnology, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences (FCAV), Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal 14884-900, BrazilSanta Casa Hospital, Ribeirão Preto 14085-000, BrazilDepartment of Agricultural, Livestock and Environmental Biotechnology, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences (FCAV), Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal 14884-900, BrazilDepartment of Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biosciences (IBB), Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18618-681, BrazilBotucatu School of Medicine (FMB), Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18618-687, BrazilDepartment of Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biosciences (IBB), Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18618-681, BrazilThe COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the complex interplay between the gut microbiota and systemic immune responses, particularly through the gut–lung axis. Disruptions in gut microbial diversity and function—commonly referred to as dysbiosis—have been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we assessed the gut bacteriome and permeability in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients using 16S sequencing and ELISA assays, respectively. We also measured blood inflammatory cytokines and fecal secretory IgA to evaluate systemic and mucosal immune responses. Significant alterations in both alpha and beta diversity metrics were observed in patients with COVID-19 (<i>n</i> = 79) and those with post-COVID-19 condition (<i>n</i> = 141) compared to the controls (<i>n</i> = 97). Differential abundance and taxonomic analyses revealed distinct microbial profiles in the infected groups. Increased plasma levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-17A, IFN-γ, and zonulin were detected in patient samples. Some genera were elevated during acute infection, which was positively correlated with C-reactive protein, while <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> and <i>Escherichia-Shigella</i> were associated with increased zonulin levels, indicating compromised intestinal barrier function. These findings suggest that gut dysbiosis may contribute to bacterial translocation and systemic inflammation. Overall, our results highlight the importance of the gut–lung axis and suggest that modulating the gut microbiota could support immune regulation in SARS-CoV-2 infection.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1407COVID-19post-COVID-19 conditiongut-lung axisbacteriome profileinflammatory cytokinesgut permeability |
| spellingShingle | Larissa S. Souza Alexandre S. Ferreira-Junior Pedro C. Estella Ricardo K. Noda Lhorena F. Sousa Miguel T. Y. Murata Lucas A. L. Carvalho João L. Brisotti Daniel G. Pinheiro Josias Rodrigues Carlos M. C. B. Fortaleza Gislane L. V. de Oliveira Bacteriome Signature in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients Correlates with Increased Gut Permeability and Systemic Inflammatory Cytokines Microorganisms COVID-19 post-COVID-19 condition gut-lung axis bacteriome profile inflammatory cytokines gut permeability |
| title | Bacteriome Signature in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients Correlates with Increased Gut Permeability and Systemic Inflammatory Cytokines |
| title_full | Bacteriome Signature in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients Correlates with Increased Gut Permeability and Systemic Inflammatory Cytokines |
| title_fullStr | Bacteriome Signature in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients Correlates with Increased Gut Permeability and Systemic Inflammatory Cytokines |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bacteriome Signature in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients Correlates with Increased Gut Permeability and Systemic Inflammatory Cytokines |
| title_short | Bacteriome Signature in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients Correlates with Increased Gut Permeability and Systemic Inflammatory Cytokines |
| title_sort | bacteriome signature in sars cov 2 infected patients correlates with increased gut permeability and systemic inflammatory cytokines |
| topic | COVID-19 post-COVID-19 condition gut-lung axis bacteriome profile inflammatory cytokines gut permeability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1407 |
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