Persistent Systemic Microbial Translocation and Intestinal Damage During Coronavirus Disease-19

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Infectious Diseases
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Microbial translocation and intestinal damage are understudied in COVID-19.
• Assessing gut permeability and cell integrity in COVID-19 is crucial for understanding disease severity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if gut permeability and cell integrity are altered in COVID-19 patients.
• To investigate if these alterations are more severe in critical COVID-19.
• To explore the predictive value of gut permeability markers for ICU admission and mortality.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated markers of microbial translocation (Lipopolysacharide Binding Protein, EndoCab IgM) and intestinal damage (Intestinal Fatty Acid Binding Protein) in 45 COVID-19 patients.
• Compared COVID-19 patients with age- and gender-matched healthy donors.
• Assessed markers at diagnosis and 7 days post-diagnosis.

Main Results:

• COVID-19 patients exhibited significantly higher microbial translocation and intestinal damage than healthy donors.
• Intensive Care Unit patients had higher microbial translocation levels than non-ICU patients.
• High microbial translocation and low intestinal damage predicted Intensive Care Unit admission.

Conclusions:

• COVID-19 is associated with increased gut permeability and microbial translocation.
• These gut alterations are particularly evident in severe COVID-19 cases requiring Intensive Care Unit admission.