2023-10-24 12:44:00
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An imbalance of fungi in the intestinal tract could contribute to excessive inflammation in people with severe cases of COVID-19 or long-term symptoms of the disease, known as “long COVID,” reveals a new study published in the magazine Nature Immunology.
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According to the study, individuals with the disease in severe condition had elevated levels of a fungus that can activate the immune system and induce lasting changes in it.
Martin Hönigla clinical researcher in mycology at the Medical University of Graz in Austria, who was not involved in the study, says it highlights the importance of exploring new avenues of research and treatment that could offer some form of relief to those who are seriously ill.
The microbiota revolution
The study goes so far as to suggest that antifungal treatments could provide some relief to people with critical illness. The possibility is raised that antifungals, already in common use in medicine, could be purified to specifically treat severe cases of COVID-19, which opens a new frontier in the therapeutic options available.
Implications on inflammation and the immune system
Human beings harbor trillions of microorganisms in our bodies, which play fundamental roles in our health. For example, the bacteria present in our intestinal tract (the microbiota) play a crucial role in a wide variety of physiological functions, from the efficient digestion of food to the regulation of the immune system. In addition to these functions, the intestinal microbiota has been revealed as an astonishingly precise biological clock, with the ability to estimate the age of an individual with a high degree of accuracy.
While most of the microbiota is made up of bacteria, the fungal component (mycobiota) also interacts with the immune system. Previous work has shown that many people with COVID-19 have altered gut microbiota and disrupted protective barriers, which could allow pathogens to enter the bloodstream.
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In the study cited, The team examined blood samples from 91 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in 2020. Approximately three-quarters of these individuals had severe disease and required high levels of supplemental oxygen or invasive mechanical ventilation.
These people produced about four times more antibodies against three species of fungi common in the gut, including yeast. Candida albicans, compared to individuals who had never tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. This finding suggests that these patients had high amounts of these fungi, which was positively correlated with the severity of the disease.
Theories about persistent COVID
The study also shed light on how alterations in the mycobiota during a SARS-CoV-2 infection could contribute to the inflammation associated with long COVID. Aran Singanayagama respiratory immunologist at Imperial College London, says there are several theories about what could trigger lingering symptoms after COVID: “Microbial dysbiosis, whether of the gut or the lungs, is a big theory that people are putting forward, and I think “This study adds weight to that theory.”
However, more research is still needed to elucidate the relationship between intestinal fungi and COVID-19. It is not clear whether the changes observed in the mycobiota of people with COVID-19 are a consequence of the disease or if, on the contrary, these changes pre-existed and made people more susceptible. Future research could reveal more about the mechanisms involved and How existing antifungal treatments could be effectively repurposed to help people with COVID-19.
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