COVID-PATH

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide have been so far infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It has become evident that the virus particles that cause lung illness also infect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Yet, the long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the GI tract remain unclear. Via multi-omic analyses, we identified patient-specific fecal microbiota signatures and host biomarkers as a function of SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in the GI tract, highlighting a possible link between microbiome alterations and the levels of viral RNA in the GI tract rather than the severity of the disease. In addition, we found an enhanced infective competence of the gut microbiome in patients with asymptomatic-to-moderate COVID-19. In this context, an increasing body of evidence, including our own, shows that even mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 cases are at considerable risk of developing Long COVID. Given the key role of the gut microbiome in physiological processes, including the maintenance and regulation of the immune equilibrium, the main objectives of COVID-PATH are i) to elucidate to what extent the GI presence of SARS-CoV-2 affects the gut microbiome and ii) to better understand the impact of its alterations on the COVID-19 pathogenesis and the risk for developing persistent symptoms. By integrating multi-omic analyses and immune profiling over time, the resulting microbiota taxonomical and functional signatures alongside the identification of human biomarkers from COVID-19 patients with GI infection will shed light on the activity of SARS-CoV-2 in the GI tract, its role in disease progression, including its relation to Long COVID, and its clinical implications.