Gut Bacteria May Help In COVID Fight – Study
Presence of commensal bacteria in the human intestine release compounds that inhibit the invasion of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for causing COVID-19.
While every survivor of COVID 19 has a different story to narrate, ever wondered why some patients with moderate to severe Covid-19 symptoms have gastro-intestinal troubles whereas others have their lungs majorly impacted?
Basing their study on this hypothesis, researchers at the Yonsei University in Seoul found that the presence of commensal bacteria in the human intestine help produce compounds that inhibit the invasion of SARS-CoV-2 virus. This virus is responsible for causing the Covid-19 disease.
For the study, the researchers screened dominant bacteria dwelling in the gut for activity against SARS-CoV-2. They found that Bifidobacteria played an active role in this. Bifidobacteria is previously known to suppress other bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori known to cause stomach cancer and irritable bowel syndrome.
Mohammed Ali, a Ph.D. student in Medicine at Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea was elated with the findings. He feels that the findings of the study can help pave way for new developments in the fight against COVID-19. “Finding microbes that secrete anti-coronavirus molecules will be a promising method to develop natural or engineered probiotics to expand our therapeutics prevention techniques, to provide a more sustainable way to combat the viral infection,” said Ali.
The findings of the study he research were presented at World Microbe Forum on June 20. 2021.
