Microbiota-related metabolites correlated with the severity of COVID-19 patients
Xiao-Sen Wang1, Jing-Yu Wang2, Fei Yu3
1State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China.
Insights
Altered microbial metabolites in COVID-19 patients correlate with disease severity and organ injury. These changes persist post-discharge, suggesting gut microbiota as a potential therapeutic target for severe COVID-19.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Metabolomics
- Infectious disease
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents limited treatment options for severe cases.
- Altered gut microbiota is observed in severe COVID-19, but microbial metabolites' roles are unclear.
- Comprehensive data on microbial metabolites in COVID-19 patients is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in serum microbial metabolites in COVID-19 patients.
- To correlate these metabolite alterations with disease severity and organ injury.
- To assess metabolite levels during acute and recovery stages of COVID-19.
Main Methods:
- Identified 153 serum microbial metabolites.
- Compared 72 COVID-19 patients (admission and one-month post-discharge) with 133 healthy controls.
- Assessed metabolite changes across different COVID-19 stages and severity.
Main Results:
- 13 distinct microbial metabolites differed between COVID-19 patients and controls.
- Altered metabolites included tryptophan, bile acids, fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, and benzene-containing compounds.
- Disrupted metabolites correlated with organ injury and inflammation; levels remained abnormal one month post-discharge.
- Two core microbial metabolites were identified as key indicators of COVID-19 severity.
Conclusions:
- Microbial metabolites are altered in acute and recovery stages of COVID-19, correlating with disease severity.
- Gut microbiota plays a significant role in COVID-19 progression.
- These findings highlight potential therapeutic microbial targets for severe COVID-19.
Background:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic with high mortality, and the treatment options for the severe patients remain limited. Previous studies reported the altered gut microbiota in severe COVID-19. But there are no comprehensive data on the role of microbial metabolites in COVID-19 patients.
Methods:
We identified 153 serum microbial metabolites and assessed the changes in 72 COVID-19 patients upon admission and one-month after their discharge, comparing these changes to those in 133 healthy control individuals from the outpatient department during the same period.
Results:
Our study revealed that microbial metabolites varied across different stages and severity of COVID-19 patients. These altered microbial metabolites included tryptophan, bile acids, fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins and those containing benzene. A total of 13 distinct microbial metabolites were identified in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy controls. Notably, correlations were found among these disrupted metabolites and organ injury and inflammatory responses related to COVID-19. Furthermore, these metabolites did not restore to the normal levels one month after discharge. Importantly, two microbial metabolites were the core microbial metabolites related to the severity of COVID-19 patients.
Conclusions:
The microbial metabolites were altered in the acute and recovery stage, correlating with disease severity of COVID-19. These results indicated the important role of gut microbiota in the progression of COVID-19, and facilitated the potential therapeutic microbial target for severe COVID-19 patients.
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