Gut Microbiome in Post-COVID-19 Patients Is Linked to Immune and Cardiovascular Health Status but Not COVID-19 Severity

Abstract

The composition of the gut microbiome stores the imprints of prior infections and other impacts. COVID-19 can cause changes in inflammatory status that persist for a considerable time after infection ends. As the gut microbiome is closely associated with immunity and inflammation, the infection severity might be linked to its community structure dynamics. Using 16S rRNA sequencing of stool samples, we investigated the microbiome three months after the end of the disease/infection or SARS-CoV-2 contact in 178 post-COVID-19 patients and those who contacted SARS-CoV-2 but were not infected. The cohort included 3 groups: asymptomatic subjects (n = 48), subjects who contacted COVID-19 patients with no further infection (n = 46), and severe patients (n = 86). Using a novel compositional statistical algorithm (nearest balance) and the concept of bacterial co-occurrence clusters (coops), we compared microbiome compositions between the groups as well as with multiple categories of clinical parameters including: immunity, cardiovascular parameters and markers of endothelial dysfunction, and blood metabolites. Although a number of clinical indicators varied drastically across the three groups, no differences in microbiome features were identified between them at this follow-up point. However, there were multiple associations between the microbiome features and clinical data. Among the immunity parameters, the relative lymphocyte number was linked to a balance including 14 genera. Cardiovascular parameters were associated with up to four bacterial cooperatives. Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 was linked to a balance including ten genera and one cooperative. Among the blood biochemistry parameters, calcium was the only parameter associated with the microbiome via a balance of 16 genera. Our results suggest comparable recovery of the gut community structure in the post-COVID-19 period, independently of severity or infection status. The multiple identified associations of clinical analysis data with the microbiome provide hypotheses about the participation of specific taxa in regulating immunity and homeostasis of cardiovascular and other body systems in health, as well as their disruption in SARS-CoV-2 infections and other diseases.