Gut microbiome linked to long-covid symptoms: BMJ observational study

…Eighty one bacterial species were associated with different categories of long COVID and many species were associated with more than two categories of persistent symptoms.

For example, at 6 months, persistent respiratory symptoms were strongly associated with several opportunistic ‘unfriendly’ microbes, including Streptococcus anginosus, Streptococcus vestibularis, Streptococcus gordonii and Clostridium disporicum. 

And several species known to boost immunity, including Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum, F. prausnitzii, R. inulinivorans and Roseburia hominis, were depleted in those with long COVID at 6 months.

Similarly, several ‘unfriendly’ bacteria species were associated with poorer performance on the 6-minute walk test among those with long COVID.

At hospital admission, the diversity and richness of gut bacteria in patients who subsequently developed long COVID was significantly lower than that of patients who didn’t, suggesting that particular gut microbial profiles may indicate heightened susceptibility, say the researchers.

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