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Comparative analysis of oropharyngeal microbiota in healthcare workers post-COVID-19.
- Source :
-
Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology [Front Cell Infect Microbiol] 2024 May 17; Vol. 14, pp. 1347345. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 May 17 (Print Publication: 2024). - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Background: To date, more than 770 million individuals have become coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescents worldwide. Emerging evidence highlights the influence of COVID-19 on the oral microbiome during both acute and convalescent disease phases. Front-line healthcare workers are at an elevated risk of exposure to viral infections, and the effects of COVID-19 on their oral microbiome remain relatively unexplored.<br />Methods: Oropharyngeal swab specimens, collected one month after a negative COVID-19 test from a cohort comprising 55 healthcare workers, underwent 16S rRNA sequencing. We conducted a comparative analysis between this post-COVID-19 cohort and the pre-infection dataset from the same participants. Community composition analysis, indicator species analysis, alpha diversity assessment, beta diversity exploration, and functional prediction were evaluated.<br />Results: The Shannon and Simpson indexes of the oral microbial community declined significantly in the post-COVID-19 group when compared with the pre-infection cohort. Moreover, there was clear intergroup clustering between the two groups. In the post-COVID-19 group, the phylum Firmicutes showed a significant increase. Further, there were clear differences in relative abundance of several bacterial genera in contrast with the pre-infection group, including Streptococcu s, Gemella , Granulicatella , Capnocytophaga , Leptotrichia , Fusobacterium , and Prevotella . We identified Gemella enrichment in the post-COVID-19 group, potentially serving as a recovery period performance indicator. Functional prediction revealed lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis downregulation in the post-COVID-19 group, an outcome with host inflammatory response modulation and innate defence mechanism implications.<br />Conclusion: During the recovery phase of COVID-19, the oral microbiome diversity of front-line healthcare workers failed to fully return to its pre-infection state. Despite the negative COVID-19 test result one month later, notable disparities persisted in the composition and functional attributes of the oral microbiota.<br />Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.<br /> (Copyright © 2024 Wei, Yu, Zhang, Liu, Xue, Wu, Gao and Guo.)
- Subjects :
- Humans
Adult
Male
Female
Middle Aged
Cohort Studies
COVID-19 microbiology
Microbiota
Oropharynx microbiology
Oropharynx virology
Health Personnel
SARS-CoV-2 isolation & purification
SARS-CoV-2 genetics
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S genetics
Bacteria classification
Bacteria isolation & purification
Bacteria genetics
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2235-2988
- Volume :
- 14
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 38828262
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2024.1347345